WASHINGTON – A Maryland State trooper faces assault and misconduct charges for punching a man in handcuffs as they entered the police barracks in Anne Arundel County in December.
Trooper First Class Nathan Steelman, 28, was charged Tuesday and was given a summons. He remains suspended with pay and an internal investigation is ongoing.
Another trooper working at the Glen Burnie barracks saw Steelman punch Chuck T. Snook, 31 of Glen Burnie, as he was being taken into the building on Dec. 10, 2014. Police say Steelman pushed Snook into a restroom door and hit him with a closed fist in the torso several times.
Steelman told investigators that Snook had threatened him and his family. But a witness told investigators that Steelman had threatened Snook.
According to police, Steelman had arrested Snook on a warrant for assault and other charges that stemmed from an argument between the two men earlier that same day. Snook had flicked a cigarette butt, which hit Steelman in the chest as they walked through a convenience store parking lot. Steelman was not in uniform at the time.
Armed with the warrant, Steelman and a uniformed trooper arrested Snook, who was uncooperative and belligerent, at his home and took him to the barracks, police say.
The Anne Arundel County state’s attorney’s office later dropped Snook’s charges.
Steelman has worked for the state police for five years. He was an investigator with the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center.
