Charnise Nicole Tate, 36, of Waldorf, is charged with first-degree assault and second-degree assault after court documents say an adult male victim was struck with an aluminum bat and threatened during an incident on May 3, 2026, in Charles County.
According to court documents, a Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded at approximately 10:17 a.m. on May 3, 2026, to a reported assault with a weapon at an apartment on Aldermans Place in Waldorf. The charging document lists the complainant as Officer J. Berry III of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
The adult male victim was found in front of Gallery Place in Waldorf, where court documents say he was waiting for law enforcement. The officer reported that the adult male victim had a missing front tooth, a broken front tooth, a swollen lip, bleeding, and a red mark on his right shoulder.
The officer wrote that those injuries were consistent with the adult male victim’s account that Tate struck him in the mouth with an aluminum bat and then struck him in the shoulder with the same bat. The statement of charges separately alleges that Tate assaulted the adult male victim in the second degree and first degree at the Aldermans Place apartment.
Tate was found inside the residence on Aldermans Place, and after being advised of her Miranda rights, Tate agreed to speak with the officer. The officer wrote that Tate stated “that she had struck the victim with an aluminum bat in the mouth.”
The officer also wrote that an aluminum bat was found in Tate’s closet. According to court documents, Tate stated that the bat “was the one used during the altercation.”
The adult male victim also stated that Tate aimed a black handgun at him while he was inside a bathroom and threatened to shoot him, according to the probable cause statement. Court documents say Tate told the officer “that she owned black bb pistol.” The officer wrote that the BB pistol was found in the drawer of the oven.
In the continued statement of probable cause, the officer wrote that Tate stated “that during the altercation the bb pistol was sitting on a shelf and she moved it to the oven drawer after the incident.” The officer also wrote that Tate admitted to striking the adult male victim “with bat in the mouth” and led investigators to the locations of both the bat and the BB pistol.
Court documents say Tate and the adult male victim had known each other as friends for approximately 10 years.
Tate made an initial appearance on May 3, 2026. The initial appearance report says she appeared without an attorney and was advised of her right to an attorney, including the right to request Public Defender representation if eligible. The report states Tate elected to waive an attorney for the initial appearance only, and a judicial officer found that the waiver was knowing and voluntary.
A judicial officer ordered Tate held without bond on May 3, 2026. The court found a reasonable likelihood that Tate posed a danger to the safety of the alleged victim, another person, or the community. As conditions noted in the initial appearance paperwork, Tate was ordered not to engage in criminal conduct, to appear in court when notified, not to intimidate the adult male victim, and not to contact or harass him in person, by telephone, in writing, electronically, or by any other means, either directly or indirectly.
A bail review hearing was held on May 4, 2026, before Judge Patrick J. Devine in Charles District Court. Court records show Tate remained held without bond after that hearing.
