A Pittsburgh police sergeant accused of slapping his former girlfriend on Friday afternoon has been charged with aggravated assault and is taking time off from work through the end of the year as the incident is investigated.
Eugene Hlavac, 41, is accused of hitting Lauren Noel Maughan after she arrived late to pick up their son, according to a criminal complaint.
Assistant Chief William Bochter said Sunday that Hlavac is taking "discretionary days" off. An investigation is under way, and any disciplinary action against the officer would take place when he returns in the new year, Bochter said.
Maughan told Pittsburgh police she was supposed to be at Hlavac's house on Beechwood Boulevard in Greenfield at 2:15 p.m. Friday so he could go to work, but she was delayed when her vehicle stalled and she had to call a friend to bring a gallon of gas.
When she reached Hlavac's home at 2:55, he was waiting outside, in uniform. He put their son into her vehicle and slammed the door. The two argued outside the car, and Hlavac slapped Maughan on the left side of her face with his open right hand, according to the complaint.
She said she was in such pain that she went to her car to get her phone and told Hlavac she intended to call police, according to the complaint. Hlavac replied, "You're not doing this, you're not ruining my life," according to the complaint. She told police she had difficulty speaking because of the pain.
Maughan said the two talked inside his home for about a half-hour and he convinced her to keep the incident secret, according to the complaint.
She went to Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville and was referred to a specialist for a partial dislocation of her jaw, according to the complaint. Hlavac showed up at the hospital and eventually came to the exam room.
The complaint said she told the doctor she hurt herself in a fall. When the doctor asked how that resulted in facial injuries, Hlavac said she fell down steps and might have hit a wall, according to the complaint.
Later, after talking over the situation with her family, Maughan said she went to the Penn Hills police station, saying she was afraid to go to the city.
She was referred to the Zone 4 station. Hlavac, who works out of the Zone 2 station in the Hill District, was arraigned Saturday, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
In 2007, Hlavac and two other city offices who were linked to reports of disturbances or domestic violence were promoted, touching off a controversy that led to policy changes in the department.
Police were called to investigate reports of screaming at Hlavac's home in March 2007, but no charges were filed.
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