California Woman Held Without Bond After Felony Child Abuse Arrest in St. Mary’s County

Elizabeth Ann Quade, 43, of California, Maryland, is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after being arrested on January 29, 2026, in connection with an alleged assault involving a juvenile, according to court documents filed in the District Court for St. Mary’s County. Quade is charged with two counts of second-degree child abuse, both felonies, and one count of second-degree assault, a misdemeanor.

According to charging documents, deputies with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an assault at a residence in California, Maryland on January 29, 2026. The arresting officer, identified in court records as Deputy Paul Rodriguez, made contact with a 16-year-old male juvenile victim and Quade. Court records state the juvenile victim had visible injuries, including blood on his ear and shirt, scratches on his throat, and multiple red marks and bruises on his body.

In a statement to law enforcement included in the probable cause report, the juvenile victim said the incident began during a verbal argument. He told deputies that Quade “began yelling back at him,” then “grabbed a wooden stick that was by the door,” got close to him, and waved it in his face. The juvenile victim stated that when he tried to move the stick away, Quade struck him with it multiple times. He further told deputies that Quade “also grabbed him by the throat with her hand” during the incident.

Court documents also detail statements made by Quade to deputies at the scene. According to the report, Quade initially said the juvenile victim was yelling at her, calling her “crazy,” and that he grabbed her by the throat, prompting her to strike him with the stick to get him off of her. The report states that Quade later changed her account, telling another officer that the juvenile victim did not put his hands on her before she struck him and that she hit him multiple times with the stick as he tried to grab it. She later described the incident as going “blow for blow” and said it happened so fast she did not remember everything clearly, according to the probable cause statement.

As a result of the investigation, Quade was charged with child abuse in the second degree as a custodial parent, child abuse in the second degree as a household or family member, and second-degree assault. All alleged offenses are listed as occurring on January 29, 2026, in St. Mary’s County.

Quade appeared before a District Court commissioner for an initial appearance on the evening of January 29, 2026. Court records show she was ordered held without bond, with the commissioner citing a reasonable likelihood that she posed a danger to the safety of the alleged victim or the community. A bail review hearing was held on January 30, 2026, before Judge Karen Christy Holt Chesser, who continued the order to hold Quade without bond.

A competency hearing is scheduled for February 12, 2026, in St. Mary’s District Court, followed by a preliminary hearing set for February 24, 2026.

The case remains open.

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