An Anne Arundel County Police officer has been charged with assault almost eight months after a woman alleges that she was beaten by an officer and a relative at a softball tailgate in Hagerstown.

Cpl. Kara Parks, a four-year police veteran, has been suspended with pay pending an investigation by internal affairs, the police department said in a statement Tuesday.

On Monday, a Washington County court commissioner charged Kara Parks and a relative, Tracy Parks, with one count each of second-degree assault. The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Police did not apply for the charges. Instead, Julianna Frishkorn of Hagerstown swore out a statement alleging that she was assaulted by Kara Parks and her relative. Court commissioners, who are judicial officers that are not required to have a law degree, rely only on the sworn statement of the person applying for charges.

Neither Kara Parks nor Tracy Parks immediately returned messages seeking comment Tuesday. Online court records do not list an attorney for either defendant.

Washington County State’s Attorney Gina Cirincion did not immediately respond to questions about whether her office would prosecute the cases.

Frishkorn alleges that she was taking her service dog to the “designated dog waste station” at a Hilton Hotel in Hagerstown on May 25 when she encountered Kara Parks and her relative, who were part of a tailgate of up to 46 people for a traveling softball team.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Frishkorn said the group included off-duty police and emergency responders from various agencies. She said it was clear that many were intoxicated, adding that several members of the group fled the scene after the altercation.

“I was asked not to walk through their group, after explaining why I needed to use the area, tension rose and the police were called,” Frishkorn wrote in the application for charges. “Police informed the party that I would need to be allowed access. The hotel manager told the party the same.”

Frishkorn said Hagerstown Police left within 15 minutes. She alleges that the group, including Kara Parks, continued to harass her once officers left.

The Hagerstown Police Department did not immediately respond Tuesday to questions about the incident and its response.

Frishkorn alleges the situation escalated quickly, with the Parkses and some friends surrounding her. Frishkorn said she extended her arm to create space from the group “while screaming repeatedly to back away from me.”

“Kara then threw a punch at my face, as Tracy picked me up and threw me, causing me to fall back smashing the back of my head on the pavement,” Frishkorn wrote. “Once on the ground Kara and Tracy were kicking me and my service dog resulting in my dog ripping Tracy’s shorts nearly in half.”

Frishkorn said she required an ambulance and that she received care for “head trauma, strangulation, breathing treatments and lacerations all over my body.”

She also alleges that her service dog can no longer perform its responsibilities as a result of the violent encounter.

“It was a brutal attack,” Frishkorn told The Banner.

A disabled veteran, Frishkorn said she was at the hotel because her sister was staying there.

Frishkorn said she waited until now to apply for charges because Hagerstown Police filed charges against her stemming from the incident. She said she was acquitted of all the charges recently. No such case appears in online court records. When people are acquitted of crimes, their cases are removed from online court records.

“I can tell you that it’s our understanding that the allegations are part of a misunderstanding and that I think that this matter will be resolved relatively quickly once it gets into the court system,” said O’Brien Atkinson, president of the union that represents Anne Arundel officers.

“Cpl. Parks,” Atkinson added, “is a very well-respected school resource officer in our department and the allegations don’t fit our understanding of the kind of person she is.”

Before being suspended, Kara Parks was assigned to the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Bureau of Community Services, police said in a statement. The department noted that she was off-duty and not in uniform at the time of the alleged assault.

Parks also worked as a school resource officer at Northeast Middle School, earning the Officer of the Month award in August for her work, according to a post by the department on the social media platform X.

“Cpl. Parks’ kindness and dedication shone through when she supported a student in need with essential items — proving that even small acts can make a big difference,“ the department said. ”We’re proud to recognize Cpl. Parks."