A U.S. Senate candidate from Maryland has been charged with assaulting and raping his 19-year-old Latvia-born wife, according to Baltimore media outlets.
David Dickerson, one of several Democratic candidates for the Senate, was charged July 22 after his wife claimed she was raped, television stations WBAL and WJZ reported July 24.
Dickerson’s attorney, Craig Kadish, told the news outlets that the charges are false and that Dickerson’s wife has a history of mental illness.
The 43-year-old Dickerson met and married his wife in Latvia, where Dickerson taught college courses and served on the government’s Task Force on Lobbying Law Development, according to a press release posted on his Web site. Dickerson, whose campaign highlights family values, on June 2 entered the race for the Senate seat held by the retiring Paul Sarbanes.
According to charging documents obtained by the news outlets, Dickerson’s wife claimed she had been repeatedly abused, assaulted and raped by her husband in their home in Sparks, Md. She called police July 16 and was taken to a hospital.
The couple has a 2-month-old child who is being raised by the wife’s mother in Latvia, WBZ reported, citing the court documents.
Dickerson is charged with second-degree rape, second-degree assault and a fourth-degree sex offense. He was released on USD 100,000 bail.
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Firstly, what was he thinking when he married a 19 year old?
Secondly, was he not aware that most young LLs have an agenda?
Lastly, he should’ve called a personal timeout!!
No kidding…he married a teenager…at his age! Yea, sure, I’d even consider voting for someone who’d make that decision. Even without the rape charges he sounds like he has problems. Their baby is in Latvia being taken care of..what’s that about?! The prospective senator sounds like a real winner.
There are two sides to every story. Women and girls lie too. In regard to the age diference, do a google search, and you will see that David looks like an over-ripe 27 year old. Anyway…we should hear his story. I am sick of men being accused of rape falsely, and then it blackens their reputation.
And I’m sick of men in leadership positions getting away with rape, violence and sexual misconduct towards women…mainly it is women who are accused of being ‘losee’, ‘mentally unstable,’ etc.
Notice, too, that the baby is two months old, presumably her first. Those first several weeks after birth are a difficult time for most mothers, as their bodies are changing in so many ways, they usually get little sleep, a first baby is very scary — especially if you’re far from home and from your own mom. The smallest additional stress can seem overwhelming. It’s a time when husbands need to be super-sensitive, even in a healthy relationship. Then, if there are other problems . . . We probably should have compassion for them both rather than condemnation or ridicule.
Agreed, Mirdza. Yes there are two sides to every story. But if she’s 19 now, then she was likely 18 when she got pregnant. It appears from the bio on Dickerson’s campaign site that he was in Riga in about 2003-2004. Which would beg the question…she’s 19 in 2006, then she was 16/17 when he met her. I’m sorry, but the implications are disgusting…and in fact possibly illegal, vai ne? Who knows what’s going on with the rape charge…but this guy does not sound like a winner.
Yes, agreed mctalzema, there is something wrong here. I wonder, if by chance, there was a misprint in the papers and instead of being 19 years old, she is 29, because then that would make sense that she was 25 years old when he met her, and usually students are in their mid to early 20s when they go to graduate school, supposedly where Dickerson taught. Then that changes the picture totally. Anyway…there are still two stories to this, and men should not have their lives ruined because of a false accusation. In this country you are inncocent until proven guilty. And Dickerson is not in a position of power, his wife is, because she made the accustation and he now has to clear his name which will be hard to do, especially in a political race. But the real looser here is the child, who needs both his parents. Hopefully they can patch things up and mend their family. Anyway….I have never heard of any man in power getting away with rape. Does anyone have any examples? But I could give you many of men who have been aquitted of charges, but their lives seriously damaged. At least there is a good grandmother who the child can form a bond to.
is there an american man in latvia who doesn’t end up marrying a local girl?….she is 19. they met when she was 16. not that uncommon in latvia and eastern europe to see large age differences. the age difference is no big deal to latvians or russians. most teenage latvian girls are more mature than most 40 year old american women…..the real issue should be the charges.
Ted, the Washington Post also reported she’s 19 years old so no mistake there (unless you know the Washington Post to be a a tabloid in your neck of the woods). Also they met when she was 16yrs old “..according to a statement of charges filed in Baltimore County District Court.”. Whatever the circumstances any 43 year old man drooling over a 16 year is one horny bugger (oh sorry, he campained on family values so he can’t possibly do any wrong).
What’s your beef with this subject, Ted Johnson? Sounds personal. 19 year-olds have no business marrying such an old man anyways. You know what this whole marriage was based on – equal opportunity. The problem is, for the young girls, they are marrying arrogant, power hungry men – which can mean their rights will be violated. It’s not just all money, U.S. freedom and fun, is it?
I’m sick of hearing about this old man young girl… My parents had more than 20 yrs difference in their lives… and survived over 50 years of happy marriage.. What about older women and younger men??? It happens as well. I think the girl may have had “juvenile problems and yelled rape” without even knowing what she was doing!!! Perhaps she thought he was an easy way to get out of Latvia????
There is not enough information in the article to make an objective assessment and most of the responses are based on prejudices based on other information and experience.
We read about the wife’s mental purported illness but does Dickerson have a past? I could add several other explanations based on the experience of others but let’s just wiat for further evidence before making judgements.
daudz kas rakstā nav pareizi….pajautājiet man ,es atbildēšu ,ko esmu piedzīvojusi sakarā ar šo gadījumu