Anne Arundel delegate charged with second-degree assault

Del. Gary Simmons, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, was charged late last week with second-degree assault, according to online court records.

Simmons was charged after his stepdaughter alleged that he became physical during an argument at a home in Brooklyn, according to charging documents.

Simmons, 55, is the current representative for District 12B, which covers parts of northern Anne Arundel County. Simmons recently triumphed in a court case that removed a primary challenger, John Dove Jr., from the ballot on grounds that Dove did not live in the district when he filed his campaign paperwork.

Simmons did not respond immediately to a request for comment Monday. The charge against him was first reported by the Maryland Daily Record.

Simmons’ 27-year-old stepdaughter went to the Police Department last Wednesday around 11:30 p.m. to report a “physical family dispute,” according to police charging documents.

The stepdaughter said she jokingly said “No,” when Simmons asked her to move her vehicle, according to the documents, and then Simmons started to “put his hands in her face.”

She told police that she pushed his hands away, and then Simmons “grabbed her left arm very tightly.” The stepdaughter said her brother “intervened” and separated the two, according to the charging documents.

Police wrote that the brother later corroborated the stepdaughter’s story.

Simmons was not arrested, but a summons has been issued for him to appear in Glen Burnie District Court in late August. A trial is set for Sept. 11.

Simmons was first elected in 2022. He serves on the Judiciary Committee and was made deputy majority whip earlier this year. He has been vice chair of the Anne Arundel County House Delegation since 2025.