County Sheriff Ronald Bateman Charged in Domestic Assault

Updated at 3 p.m.

PASADENA, MD — Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ronald Bateman, 54, was arrested by police Sunday night for allegedly assaulting his wife.

According to Anne Arundel County Police, Mrs. Bateman called authorities just before 7:30 p.m. from an address on Pasadena Yacht Yard Road. The victim told police her husband, Ronald Bateman, assaulted her in their residence.

When officers arrived at the home, they reported finding injuries to the victim and damage to the residence.

Police Chief Timothy Altomare said he was notified by his officers that Bateman was a suspect soon after they arrived at the Riviera Beach area home.

He has not talked to the sheriff.

“We’ve been making sure we’re doing the right thing. Are we sad about the incident? Of course we are,” Altomare said at a news conference.

But Altomare said his department must think about the victim in the case, while Bateman is treated like other suspects.

Sheriff Bateman was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.

According to charging documents, the couple argued after Elsie Bateman came home from dinner. When Ronald Batemen allegedly ordered her to leave the house, she told police she reached for his money clip. At that point the argument turned physical, the Capital-Gazette reports, with the sheriff pushing his wife onto a bed, then reportedly throwing her against a wall, where she struck her head.

His weapons and credentials have been taken for safe-keeping per protocol, police said. Under-Sheriff Rick Tabor has been notified.

The victim told officers she would seek medical treatment on her own.

Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams said that because of the unique relationship between the State's Attorney's Office and the Anne Arundel County Sheriff's Office, he has referred the Bateman case to a special prosecutor outside of Anne Arundel County. Steve Kroll, the director of the Maryland State's Attorney's Association, will serve as special counsel in this case.

"I have chosen this route to ensure the public's trust in my office, to ensure that no one is above the law, and to ensure that both Mr. and Mrs. Bateman each are treated fairly," Adams said in a statement.

»Photo of Sheriff Ronald Bateman, courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police