State Del. Dana Dembrow was arrested on a second-degree assault charge for hitting his wife. (Montgomery County Police) _____From The Post_____ • Delegate Charged in Assault on Wife (The Washington Post, Apr 2, 2002) E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Version Subscribe to The Post

By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 4, 2002; Page B01

When Maryland Del. Dana Lee Dembrow rose on the House floor yesterday to object to a proposal that would turn an assault on a police officer into a felony, the usually bustling chamber fell into an awkward silence.

The well-circulated news about Dembrow's arrest on charges of assaulting his wife last weekend had the Montgomery County Democrat's colleagues straining to separate his political views from his personal transgressions.

"It frankly is very difficult for many of us to look at him and deal with him in the same manner we did before," said Del. Marilyn Goldwater (D-Montgomery). "He is, in many respects, tainted by what he has done."

In the whirl of the legislature's final week, Dembrow'sadmission that he struck his wife has become an uncomfortable distraction for Maryland lawmakers. The legislature's ethics committee convened to discuss the implications of his arrest. The Women's Caucus called an emergency session yesterday to craft a statement condemning his behavior. And a quiet clamor for Dembrow's resignation has grown louder.

In his district, the local chapter of the National Organization for Women took several calls yesterday from angry Dembrow constituents and urged each of them to write him and demand he step down.

"His anger resulted in physical assault on a loved one," said Duchy Trachtenberg, president of the Montgomery chapter of NOW. "We would all like to see him put aside his official duties, resign his office and start working to repair his family."

Suzette Dembrow has had little to say since the Sunday night altercation, which sent her to the hospital with a half-inch gouge on her nose and two black eyes. She said yesterday she "would love to give a statement, but this is not the proper time."

Dana Dembrow has remained publicly contrite and apologetic. He released a statement acknowledging his "disgrace and humiliation" for bloodying his wife's nose during an argument about the disintegration of their 14-year marriage.

And he has continued to talk to the television news crews camped in his Annapolis office and to reporters from around the state, politely repeating his apologies, but always mentioning his allegation that his wife struck him first.

He also has begun to defend himself against a second-degree assault charge by filing countercharges against his wife. And he has attempted to keep his arrest from becoming a consuming intrusion on the busy final week of the 2002 legislative session.

"It's too early to tell how this will affect my work," Dembrow said yesterday. "But it has been a difficult time."

For now, Dembrow's seat in the House of Delegates is secure. House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr. (D-Allegany) received word from the state ethics adviser that Dembrow would be subject to removal only if he was convicted of a felony or a crime that directly involved abuse of his public office.

"It's a matter of personal concern," said William G. Somerville, the state ethics counsel.

That ruling, Taylor said, signaled to him, and to many lawmakers, that the altercation is none of their business. Most members followed that course, expressing privately what Del. Sheila Ellis Hixson (D-Montgomery) said publicly.

"It's so personal that I'd really feel uncomfortable commenting on it," she said.

The legislature's 55-member Women's Caucus debated for an hour about whether it should publicly condemn Dembrow's behavior.

"We never, ever, ever have acted as a judge and jury of our own," said House Majority Leader Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Baltimore), as the group met.

After much tinkering, the caucus settled on a four-sentence statement that never names Dembrow specifically, but says any act of domestic violence by a member of the General Assembly would leave them "outraged."

"We have no tolerance for such actions," it said.

Several members wanted to go further, fearing that the public would view the General Assembly as an insular group that has circled to protect one of its own.

Del. Susan C. Lee (D-Montgomery), who sits with Dembrow on the Judiciary Committee, where lawmakers debate changes to the criminal code, including measures targeting domestic violence, said, "I think it's deplorable what he did. I'm not sure it's appropriate for him to remain on that committee."

For the foreseeable future, however, Dembrow intends to stay put. He has continued to attend committee meetings and, as he did yesterday, rise on the floor to tell members his views, even on the subject of assault.