Trial Delayed for Anne Arundel Sheriff in Domestic Assault Case

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The trial of Anne Arundel County's sheriff on an assault charge from a dispute with his wife has been delayed nine days.

Anne Arundel Sheriff Ronald Bateman, 54, was charged April 10 with a single count of second-degree assault.
Police allege Bateman held his wife, Elsie, down on a bed, then shoved her against a wall in their home.

Bateman was scheduled to head to trial Monday, July 18, in Anne Arundel County District Court in Glen Burnie, court records show. The charge against him, second-degree assault, is a misdemeanor.

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But prosecutors asked that the trial be pushed back, citing a scheduling conflict, the Capital-Gazette reports. The new trial date is July 27, according to online court records.

Assistant State's Attorney Buffy Giddens of the St. Mary's County State's Attorney's Office is acting as prosecutor in the case.

SEE ALSO:

• County Sheriff Ronald Bateman Charged in Domestic Assault
• Wife Will Recant Domestic Assault Claim, Sheriff Says
• GOP Leaders Call for Anne Arundel Sheriff Bateman to Resign
• Sheriff Charged With Assault: 'I Need My Shotguns'

The assault charge stems from a call that police said came from Bateman's wife in Pasadena on Sunday, April 10. 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, with the sheriff pushing his wife onto a bed, then reportedly throwing her against a wall, where she hit her head.

When officers arrived at the Riviera Beach home, they reported finding injuries to Elsie Bateman and damage to the residence.

Ronald Bateman denied hitting his wife or pushing her into a wall at their home in the 1100 block of Pasadena Yacht Yard Road.

Afterward, police said the sheriff's weapons and credentials were taken for safekeeping according to departmental protocol.

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.

»Pictured, Sheriff Ronald Bateman, courtesy of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.