Hornberger hit with assault charge from adult son; lawmaker says it’s ‘unfounded’ and ‘misguided’

A Cecil County delegate says assault charges filed against him last week by his adult son are unfounded and were “inappropriately filed.”

Del. Kevin B. Hornberger (R-Cecil) is facing a second-degree assault charge filed last week by his adult son, Adam Hornberger. The charges, filed through a Cecil County District Court commissioner, are now under review by that county’s state’s attorney for possible prosecution.

Del. Kevin Hornberger (R-Cecil). Photo by Danielle E. Gaines.

“I love my son with all my heart. I would do anything to help rectify this situation and repair our family, and I believe he knows that,”  Hornberger said in an emailed statement. “My expectation is that this family tragedy, magnified by media attention because of my and his mother’s elected positions, will be resolved favorably for all and in a way that his behavior and life can be improved, and any aspersions cast as a result of this regrettable incident [be] conclusively removed.”

Adam Hornberger is the son of the delegate and his ex-wife, Cecil County Executive Danielle Hornberger (R). An attempt to reach the county executive for comment was not immediately successful.

The charge stems from an incident that allegedly occurred at the home of the delegate’s parents on April 16. In his statement, Hornberger said his son lives with his family at their home in the 200 block of Lums Road in North East.

The delegate said he visited the home to assist with “household chores in and around the garage area” when he encountered Adam.

“In recent months, I’ve been increasingly concerned about his behavior and encouraged him to take proactive steps to better his life,” Hornberger wrote. “My son and I engaged in a discussion about his future, and he became very agitated and ultimately became physically violent toward me. My mother, who observed the altercation, was understandably distraught as was I, and both of us were very concerned about my son’s behavior. I indicated I was contacting the police and when I did, he left the home quickly.”

Hornberger said it was later that he learned his son filed for a protective order and after that, criminal charges against him, “in what I believe was a misguided effort to deflect attention or responsibility for his own actions.”

Capt. Michael Holmes, a spokesperson for the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed officers were called to the Lums Road home to respond to the altercation. He said officers later served a summons on the delegate related to the misdemeanor assault charge.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 3 in district court in Elkton.

It is not immediately clear if the matter will go to trial.

Rebecca Johnston, a spokesperson for Cecil County State’s Attorney James A. Dellmyer (R), said the charges filed by the delegate’s son remain under review by prosecutors.

Court records show that Adam Hornberger sought a protective order hours after the initial incident.

“Along with my parents, I appeared in Cecil County District Court to contest the peace order the following day,” Delegate Hornberger wrote in his statement. “A judge conclusively determined that there was no credible evidence to suggest I did anything wrong, and thus denied the peace order.”

The application was denied after a judge ruled there was “no statutory basis for relief,” according to district court records.

The next morning, Adam Hornberger submitted a hand-written application for charges to a Cecil County District Court commissioner.

The application provides few details of what led up to the incident.

The younger Hornberger wrote that his father “put his hand on me and shoved me to the ground resulting in a cut to my palm and a bruise/scrape on my wrist. I have pictures of the injury.”

Adam Hornberger declined to be interviewed.

“This is a private family matter,” he said before abruptly ending a phone call with a reporter Tuesday.

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