Rep. Bentley Faces Charge in Scuffle With Ex-Policeman
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TOWSON, Md. — A congresswoman and a former police officer scuffled when she refused to accept a court summons in a murder case, and the lawmaker was charged with a misdemeanor in the skirmish, authorities said.
Rep. Helen Delich Bentley (R-Md.) and the process server, identified as John Burns, 40, each accused the other of assault in the incident at her office Friday, police said. A Baltimore County District Court commissioner issued a court summons ordering Bentley, 66, to stand trial on a misdemeanor count of simple battery. It was not immediately known why her testimony was sought in the murder case.
Burns told police the congresswoman, who stands about 5-foot-2, “put her hands on his throat and pushed him against the wall.”
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