OWINGS, Md. — An Owings man accused of injuring his wife during an argument about their children’s pet hamsters is scheduled to appear in Calvert County District Court next month on a second-degree assault charge.
Patrick James Hatton, 49, is charged with one count of misdemeanor second-degree assault in connection with a Nov. 7, 2025, incident at the family’s home in the 5900 block of Clairemont Drive.
A Calvert County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the residence shortly after 10 p.m. for a reported domestic disturbance. When deputies arrived, Hatton’s wife told them the couple had been arguing over the children having hamsters. She said Hatton became increasingly upset and began “scratching at” one of their sons in a way she described as aggressive.
She told the deputy she stepped between Hatton and the child and alleged that Hatton then pushed a closet door into her, injuring her right foot. The deputy documented a roughly one-inch scratch on the top of her foot, with redness and broken skin in two areas. The injury was photographed and captured on body-worn camera, according to charging documents.
Hatton gave a different account, telling the deputy that one of the hamsters was missing and that he had been trying to talk to his children about properly caring for the pets. He said he did not want the children to have hamsters and that his wife had purchased them anyway. Hatton stated that when she stepped between him and their son, he grabbed her and moved her aside, and said he did not know how her foot was injured, the document says.
Hatton was arrested and taken to the Calvert County Detention Center. While en route, the deputy reported detecting a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage and wrote that Hatton said he had consumed about two and a half glasses of wine an hour before the incident.
Hatton was released on his own recognizance following a bail review on Nov. 8.
A trial is scheduled for Dec. 18, 2025, in Calvert County District Court, Courtroom 1, in Prince Frederick.
Second-degree assault in Maryland is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine upon conviction.
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This is what our sheriff’s have to deal with? These people should be ashamed of themselves.
This seems extremely set up. A one inch scratch on your foot? Come on now that’s not enough for any charge. She just wants money