Following an emotional day of testimony from an alleged victim, a Hughesville man was found guilty of simple assault in the courtroom of Lycoming County Judge William Carlucci Tuesday afternoon.

Ryan David Brandon, 47, of 3478 Route 220, Hughesville, was charged after a victim, who had been in an 11-year relationship with Brandon contacted state police on the morning of April 2, 2024, to report that Brandon had assaulted her while he drove her to work that morning.

Openly sobbing on the witness stand, the victim stated that after making a stop while on her way to work, the steering wheel of her vehicle suddenly stopped working, at which point, she contacted Brandon for help, as he had always worked on their vehicles throughout the relationship.

Brandon related that he was unable to fix the vehicle on the spot due to her power steering belt having “ripped.” He then offered to give a ride to her workplace, which she accepted.

Once inside Brandon’s 2005 Mercedes-Benz, however, an argument over infidelity erupted, resulting in Brandon spitting on and striking the victim and knocking her hat off of her head, she testified.

The victim pleaded with Brandon to pull the car over, and several times, tried to remove herself from the vehicle even as he sped erratically down the highway, she said from the witness stand.

At one point Brandon grabbed her by her pony tail and hood and pulled her back into the vehicle, repeatedly telling her that he could not let her go because she would call the police, while at other times threatening to run the car off of a bridge or crash it into a tree in an attempt to kill both of them.

Brandon then took the victim to a secluded area where he continued to berate her, asking “why don’t you love me” and “why don’t you love me the way I love you,” she told the jury.

Eventually agreeing to take her to work, Brandon again backhanded the victim with a closed fist, causing an injury to her eye and breaking her glasses, she said.

Upon arriving at work, the victim first contacted her sister, who stressed that if the victim wouldn’t call the police, she would.

Brandon’s conduct that day was nothing new, as he had been abusive throughout the relationship, but she had never reported the abuse before, the victim said.

“I loved him with my whole heart, and I know people are not going to be able to understand that, but that’s how abuse works,” she said through tears.

Looking to establish that pattern of abuse, Lycoming County Assistant District Attorney Eric Birth introduced an obscenity-riddled voicemail from Brandon to the victim approximately one week prior to the incident in which he threatened to “drag you out of that house and (expletive) beat your (expletive) (expletive)” if the victim did not “(expletive) answer” his phone calls.

The relationship had been dysfunctional on both ends throughout its duration, with the victim requiring Brandon to give her access to his location at all times, as well as to send her photographs holding up a set number of fingers to prove he was being truthful about his location, the victim acknowledged during questioning by Defense Attorney Kyle Rude.

She added that Brandon demanded the same of her and had messed with her head by being manipulative in reference to an affair she believed he was engaged in.

Additionally, the victim admitted that she had made prior statements that life would be better for herself and the daughter she shares with Brandon if he were to go to prison, though she denied wanting to keep him out of their daughter’s life, only wanting him to get sober for her.

Rude also laid out a number of inconsistencies across the victim’s many statements, including the fact that there had been no previous mention of Brandon pulling the car over to talk and that the victim had previously said Brandon had struck her forehead, not face during his preliminary hearing.

A text from the victim to Brandon stating, “I’m now going to hurt you back to your core. Hand to God,” was produced by Rude, which she acknowledged sending, while stressing that she had never physically assaulted Brandon and had covered for him throughout their relationship.

State trooper Brian Moore testified that Brandon stated the fight had been initiated by the victim and he had only swatted her hat off in an attempt to end the argument after pulling over to the side of the road and ordering her out of his vehicle, which she refused, Brandon told the trooper, he testified.

Brandon further stated that the victim’s glasses broke when she smashed her own hands against her face.

Moore acknowledged that evidence gathered during the investigation was consistent with both Brandon’s and the Victim’s stories.

Rude’s closing argument focused again on the inconsistencies in the victim’s various accounts, as well as getting Brandon out of the lives of her and her daughter as a motive for her “embellished” version of the events.

“The victim testified with sincerity and from a place of strength, Birth countered, painting Brandon as increasingly unhinged as he continued to lose control of the victim.

Each side was afforded a win by the jury, who found Brandon guilty of simple assault, while acquitting him of charges of terroristic threats, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint and harassment.

Brandon is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 15.