Arundel sheriff acquitted of assault

Bateman’s wife had refused to testify in alleged domestic-violence case

Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ron Bateman was acquitted Wednesday of second-degree assault in a case stemming from an April domestic-violence allegation involving his wife.

The ruling by District Judge Floyd Parks came after Elsie Bateman invoked spousal privilege at her husband’s trial in Annapolis, refusing to testify against him on charges that he assaulted her during a dispute at their Pasadena home.

County police had said they found enough evidence to charge Bateman.

Buffy Giddens, a St. Mary’s County assistant state’s attorney brought in to prosecute the case, said she decided not to present additional evidence or witnesses after Elsie Bateman declined to testify — and after the sheriff agreed to complete counseling.

“I hope that moving forward, the family can find peace,” Giddens said.

The Batemans held hands as they left the courthouse and declined to comment.

Defense attorney Peter O’Neill said Bateman, who placed himself on administrative duty after his arrest, plans to resume his role as sheriff once he returns from a vacation with his family.

“Sheriff Bateman has always maintained his innocence,” O’Neill said. “He’s denied ever striking his wife and committing any type of criminal act. ... He’s been honest and forthright.”

Col. Rick Tabor, Bateman’s second-incommand, has been in charge of day-today operations at the sheriff ’s department since Bateman’s arrest, and said Wednesday it was “time to put this behind us and move forward.”

“The judicial process has played out. He was found not guilty,” Tabor said.

Police officers were called to Bateman’s home in Pasadena around 7:30 p.m. April 10, where Elsie Bateman told them the sheriff had assaulted her after they got into an argument. In charging documents, officers said the sheriff had been drinking and admitted getting into an argument with his wife.

Bateman’s wife told officers he told her to get out of the house and became angry when she tried to grab his money clip. She told police that Bateman “threw her into a wall in the craft room and she hit the back of her head” and “hit her in the left side of her face and mouth,” charging documents state.

Officers said in charging documents they noted slight redness along her left cheek and a small swollen spot on the left side of her lower lip, and that blood vessels in her left eye “appeared to be busted.”

The sheriff was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, a misdemeanor.

Elsie Bateman, who made the 911 call, Ron Bateman told a dispatcher: “The sheriff is drunk, and he just punched me in the eye.”

Shortly after his arrest, she issued a statement denying domestic-violence allegations against her husband, saying she did not wish to pursue criminal prosecution.

The release of the 911 call and police reports related to the case prompted Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh, state Sen. Ed Reilly and Nathan Volke, the chairman of the county’s Republican Party, to call for Bateman’s resignation.

Bateman, who was elected sheriff three times as a Democrat and then became a Republican last fall, refused to resign and has stated that he plans to run for re-election in 2018.

On Wednesday, Schuh’s spokesman, Owen McEvoy, said the executive stood by his earlier comments, saying the sheriff ’s actions “threatened the public’s trust.”

“It’s an unfortunate situation and obviously the court system has spoken. The county is looking forward to putting this sad chapter behind us,” McEvoy said.