A 25-year-old Cogan Station man was arrested at his home Wednesday and charged in the July death of an off-duty Middlesex Township police officer, who authorities say was strangled during a physical altercation at a family gathering. Paden Frey was taken into custody without incident and later denied bail, with a preliminary hearing now set for later this month.
According to northcentralpa.com, officers took Frey into custody without incident at his residence in Cogan Station. The victim, 44-year-old Michael McGeehan, had served with the Middlesex Township Police Department since 2001, according to fox56.com. The Middlesex Township Police Department said McGeehan faithfully served for 12 years, per CBS Pittsburgh, and described him as serving with professionalism, integrity, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to doing the job well.
A Fatal Struggle at a Family Cabin
McGeehan died July 11 after first responders were dispatched to a report of an unresponsive man on Dam Run Road in Cummings Township, the northcentralpa.com report states. When police arrived, they found him deceased. Authorities allege Frey and McGeehan were involved in a physical altercation at a family gathering, and that Frey strangled McGeehan, resulting in his death, per the same account.
Investigators said Frey pressed his forearm against McGeehan's neck during a struggle that lasted approximately 10 minutes, according to WGAL. Reports differ on the exact findings tied to the case. WGAL reported that the coroner identified manual strangulation by forearm compression of the neck as the official cause of death and ruled the manner of death a homicide, while 2822news.com reported that an autopsy instead attributed McGeehan's death to blunt-force injuries of the head and acute and chronic alcohol abuse. The discrepancy between those accounts has not been resolved in available reporting.
Charges and Court Proceedings
Reports also diverge on the severity of the homicide charge against Frey. ABC27 reported that Frey was charged with first-degree murder, strangulation, involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person, citing its own reporting on the case. Northcentralpa.com, however, reported that Frey is charged with murder of the third degree, strangulation, involuntary manslaughter, and recklessly endangering another person. CBS Pittsburgh's reporting, via CBS News, likewise describes the charges as including third-degree murder, strangulation, involuntary manslaughter, and recklessly endangering another person.
Frey was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Denise Dieter and committed to Lycoming County Prison after being denied bail, the northcentralpa.com report states. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21, according to Daily Voice, which will determine whether the case proceeds further through the Lycoming County court system.
Remembering a Husband, Father and Coach
McGeehan was a husband and father of five sons — Landon, Brady, Cooper, Colton and Chase — according to CBS Pittsburgh's reporting. He coached his sons' track and football teams, the outlet reported, and was described as a devoted husband to his wife, Nicole, who valued being a husband and father above other roles. Daily Voice similarly reported that McGeehan was survived by his wife, Nicole, and their five sons.
The Lycoming Regional Police Department announced that a man had been charged in McGeehan's death, while the investigation remained active after Frey was charged. For now, the case moves toward its next court date, with the competing accounts of the charges and autopsy findings still unresolved in public reporting.
