Sheriff Charged With Assault: 'I Need My Shotguns'

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ANNAPOLIS, MD — Embattled Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ronald Bateman, who disputes charges that he assaulted his wife, will not have his guns returned to him while he faces criminal charges, authorities said Thursday.

Guns in the sheriff’s Pasadena home were seized after he was arrested for assaulting his wife, Elsie, earlier this month.

The sheriff texted Police Chief Timothy Altomare three days after his arrest demanding that his guns be returned, arguing there was no discord between him and his wife.

Chief Altomare never responded to Bateman’s text, police said.

“He felt that it would be inappropriate to engage in any conversation/text due to the circumstances,” county police spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure told Patch. “From day one the department/Chief has felt that this case should be handled like any other case where there are allegations of domestic assault.”

Police will not return the weapons until Bateman's criminal case has been resolved, officials said.

The text message shared by police shows that Bateman texted Altomare on April 13, saying his wife had asked him to return home. And because the household was quiet, Bateman wanted his guns to go hunting.

Here’s the text message, complete with misspellings:

“Heh brother question for ya. Elsie called yesterday and sail she wants me back home so I did. I’m back at home with her sleeping in the bed and every other normal thing. She is even going into work with me today. So obviously there hasn’t been and will not be any protective orders on me prohibiting me from possessing firearms. So I need my shotguns released so my son and I can turkey hunt. I’m leaving for the mtns Sunday for a week. Please let me know what time today I can get them. Sorry for all this billshit.”

Under-Sheriff Rick Tabor has assumed day-to-day control of the department, although Bateman returned to work two days after his arrest.

According to charging documents filed by Anne Arundel County Police, the couple argued April 10 and the sheriff allegedly pushed Elsie Bateman onto a bed, then reportedly threw her against a wall, where she struck her head.

The sheriff’s wife told her 14-year-old son that her husband knocked her to the floor, and then held her there.

»Listen to portions of the Bateman 911 call (audio starts at 2:03 mark)

Bateman, 54, was charged with a single count of second-degree assault, a misdemeanor, for reportedly holding his wife down on a bed, then shoving her against a wall. He denied hitting his wife or pushing her into a wall.

“The sheriff is drunk and he just punched me in the eye," Elsie Bateman told a 911 operator, although the dispatcher didn’t understand her at the time.

SEE ALSO:

• GOP Leaders Call for Anne Arundel Sheriff Bateman to Resign
• County Sheriff: Wife Will Recant Domestic Assault Claim
• County Sheriff Ronald Bateman Charged in Domestic Assault

Last week, County Executive Steve Schuh and other leaders urged Bateman to resign in the wake of 911 calls released from the night he reportedly assaulted his wife.

But the defiant sheriff rejected the plea, and added that he will run for re-election in 2018.

Schuh, Sen. Ed Reilly, and Republican Central Committee Chairman Nathan Volke released a statement that called the court documents and 911 recording in the Bateman case troubling and unsettling.

"Violence against women is a serious issue in our state and in our county,” the statement said. “While everyone should be afforded their day in court, we hold our elected officials, especially ones in law enforcement roles, to a higher standard. This criminal case threatens the public trust in the Office of Anne Arundel County Sheriff, and compromises Mr. Bateman’s ability to administer the Sheriff’s Office. For these reasons, we believe it is in the best interests of our citizens that Sheriff Bateman resign his office.”

As an elected official, Bateman cannot be forced out of office by the County Council.

Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams has asked Steve Kroll, the director of the Maryland State's Attorney's Association, to prosecute the case.

A statement by Bateman after his arrest said, in part, “I never ever, ever, assaulted Elsie. Things were said to police during high emotions, high stress, high anger, that were just blown out of proportion and not true, and soon you will read where she has recanted everything. We are embarrassed by this, but I can tell you that we're going to get through this with counseling.”

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