Martial Arts instructor indicted on multiple counts of sex abuse of minors and sex offenses: on February 29, Charles County Sheriff’s detectives arrested Steven James Hardeman, age 37, of Newburg, in connection with two cases of sexual abuse of minors. The arrest stems from an investigation in which two victims reported being sexually assaulted by Hardeman who was a martial arts instructor at the American Martial Arts Gym in Waldorf. The assaults occurred as far back as 2013. The case was recently presented to a Charles County Grand Jury which returned an indictment charging Hardeman with two counts of sex abuse of a minor, two counts of second-degree rape, and several other related offenses. Hardeman taught martial arts at other American Martial Arts gyms with locations in St. Mary’s County and Caroline County, VA. It is not clear if there are additional victims and anyone with additional information about Hardeman should contact Detective Singh at 301-609-6471. On March 1, a judge ordered Hardeman could be released from the Charles County Detention Center on personal recognizance as long as he enrolls in home detention with electronic monitoring.
