Andy Harris staffer filed assault charges against Easton man following debate

A Capitol Hill staffer for U.S. Rep. Andy Harris filed charges against a Talbot County man after an altercation between the two men briefly interrupted Tuesday’s debate between the Republican and his Democratic challenger, Dan Schwartz.

Jonathan Glaser, a constituent liaison for Harris’ office, according to his LinkedIn page, accused Lance Simon, 68, of Easton, of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct during the event. Simon was nominated to serve on the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee in June’s primary.

District Court Commissioner Nicholas Kovach approved the charges Tuesday night and scheduled a Dec. 7 hearing.

In his handwritten complaint to the district court commissioner, Glaser wrote that Simon “struck me in the right shoulder without provocation” and that he feared “being harassed over this incident” after someone asked him for his information.

The incident came near the end of a contentious 90-minute debate, after Harris rebuked the audience for laughing and jeering when he blamed rising diesel fuel costs on Democratic environmental policy.

Harris later had a heated exchange with members of the media after the debate, during which he threatened prosecution of a student reporter while incorrectly claiming that state law prohibited her from recording him.

The complaint does not say what led up to the event, and Simon, when reached by phone, declined to comment. Glaser did not respond to interview requests prior to publication.

Multiple witnesses said the confrontation appeared to start after Glaser started filming the debate with his phone camera.

A “whap, whap” sound broke the crowd’s concentration as Harris answered a question about Chesapeake Bay oyster beds, just before a man who had been recording on his phone from the left side of the audience, facing the speakers, jumped up.

“Sir, you just hit me. Sir,” the man said as he quickly stepped into a seat.

A man seated behind him put a ball cap on, stood and began to walk away.

“I didn’t give him permission to tape me,” he said.

A Cambridge Police officer stepped toward the man with the ball cap and followed him out of the room. The officer later came back and interviewed Glaser.

The disruption lasted less than a minute.

Moderator Glenna Heckathorn, from the League of Women Voters, which hosted the event, told everyone to “take a deep breath.” Harris picked up where he left off.

Tracy Taylor said in an interview that she was sitting near the men and saw parts of their exchange. She saw Glaser recording video and said Simon told Glaser he didn’t want to be recorded. She said Simon took his ball cap and whacked Glaser on the shoulder two or three times.

Several chairs fell over during the confrontation, she said.

It was the candidates’ only scheduled debate ahead of the midterm elections. Harris, first elected in 2010 and seeking his ninth term, has favored telephone town halls over live events in recent years.

Harris announced the charges in a news release posted on Facebook and said investigations are ongoing into threats he and his family had received ahead of the event. Multiple law enforcement officers and Harris’ security team were present at the Cambridge venue.

Glaser sought the charges before a district court commissioner, a judicial officer who is not required to hold a law degree.

District court commissioners rely on what people write in applications for charges, which applicants swear are true under penalty of perjury, and do not investigate allegations.

Supporters of the district court commissioner system in Maryland say it provides greater access to the courts as well as a critical alternative to law enforcement for some survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Banner has found the process can be abused and upend people’s lives.

If convicted, Simon could face up to 10 years in prison, a $2,500 fine, or both.

Banner columnist Rick Hutzell contributed to this story.