U.S. Senate Candidate Charged With Rape, Assault

TOWSON, Md. -- Baltimore County police arrested a candidate for the U.S. Senate and charged him with rape and assault on his Latvian wife.

David Dickerson, a Democratic candidate for one of the two Maryland Senate seats, was arrested Saturday after police were called to a hospital where his wife claimed she was raped. Dickerson was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree assault and fourth-degree sex offense.

According to charging documents, the victim said she and her husband met in her home country of Latvia and married last year when she was 18. She told police that shortly after moving back to the United States, she was deprived of food and physically abused -- even after becoming pregnant.

The documents showed the victim said she was forced to have sex against her will many times and was beaten if she did not submit to her husband's wishes.

After an alleged assault by her husband on July 16, the victim said she called 911. She said her husband allegedly raped and beat her before medics could arrive.

The charging documents showed that Dickerson told medics that his wife was "crazy in the head" and they took her to St. Joseph's Medical Center where she was admitted into the psyciatric department.

Charges were filed against Dickerson on Saturday. He was arrested and posted $100,000 bail.

Craig Kadish, Dickerson's attorney, responded to the charges on Monday.

"The charges are completely fabricated, completely false and ludicrous. There is no violence between these two," Kadish said. "The wife has disappeared. She may be in New York. She has a history of mental breakdowns. She wants to stay in the country."