State trooper acquitted of assault charge after appeal

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A judge has reversed the convictions of a Maryland State Police trooper accused ofassaulting a handcuffed man in the agency's Glen Burnie barrack.

Court records show Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Paul F. Harris acquitted 30-year-old Nathan Steelman on Aug. 31, about six months after he was convicted of second-degree assault and misconduct in office.

Police say Steelman pushed then-31-year-old Chuck Snook into a restroom door and punched him several times in December 2014. Steelman argued he had struck Snook only after Snook lunged at him. Steelman had been sentenced to a suspended six-month jail term.

In issuing his decision, Harris questioned whether witness Cpl. Charles Mackey would have seen if Snook had lunged at Steelman.

Steelman has been suspended with pay since he was charged in April 2015.