Assault charges dropped against Annapolis attorney

ANNAPOLIS - Assault charges have been dropped against an Annapolis attorney accused of domestic violence.

Ronald Council, 77, was facing three counts of second-degree assault in District Court, but the charges were dismissed Nov. 26, according to online records.

Prosecutor Buffy Giddens, brought in from St. Mary's County to handle the case, said the charges were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

As part of the agreement, Council is to have no contact with his ex-girlfriend, Giddens said.

Defense attorney Peter O'Neill on Monday said the defense had evidence contradicting what was alleged in charging documents.

Council was accused of assaulting the woman three times between April and August. A message left for him wasn't returned.

Council, a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, is a director at Council, Baradel, Kosmerl and Nolan Attorneys at Law on West Street in Annapolis.

His practice includes business law, residential and commercial lending and closings, zoning and subdivision law, and estate planning and administration, according to the firm's website.

www.twitter.com/TPratt_Capital