Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The county attorney calls the bill to permanently remove the Anne Arundel county executive "premature, because sentencing has not occurred.”
The Anne Arundel County Council introduced legislation that would remove County Executive John R. Leopold from his office, but the county’s attorney said such a decision is may be too hasty. The council cast no vote at its emergency session on Wednesday afternoon, but introduced Bill 7-13, which would declare a vacancy in the executive’s position. The bill draws on a provision recently added to the county's charter after its passage in the November general election. Leopold was found guilty on two counts of misconduct in office on Tuesday. Chief Administrative Officer John Hammond is now serving as acting Anne Arundel county executive as a result of the suspension of Leopold from his duties. County Attorney Jonathan Hodgson argued that …
The Anne Arundel county executive was found guilty on two counts of misconduct in office on Tuesday.
When Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold was found guilty on two counts of misconduct in office, a number of his former employees and political opponents were watching. "I'm very happy about at least two out of the four counts," Joan Harris said. Harris is a former county employee who, along with Karla Hamner, has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Leopold in U.S. District Court. Judge Dennis Sweeney found Leopold guilty on two of the four counts of misconduct in office brought by the state prosecutor's office. Leopold was also found not guilty on the fifth—and most serious—charge of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary. That count carried a sentence of up to five years in prison. In his decision, Sweeney said Leopold …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold could be permanently removed from office by a county council vote Wednesday.
The Anne Arundel County Council will meet in an emergency session Wednesday afternoon to introduce legislation that would declare a vacancy in the county executive's office. The emergency session notice came Tuesday, shortly after the verdict was read in the trial for County Executive John R. Leopold. Based on recent charter amendments, the county council can declare a vacancy if an executive is found guilty and convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude, misfeasance or malfeasance in office. Chief Administrative Officer John Hammond is now serving as acting Anne Arundel county executive as a result of the suspension of Leopold from his duties. The Maryland Constitution provides for suspension of an elected official upon a …
The Anne Arundel county executive could now face removal from office.
UPDATE (6:15 p.m.)—A Circuit Court judge in Annapolis found Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold guilty of two counts of criminal misconduct in office on Tuesday. Chief Administrative Officer John Hammond is now serving as acting Anne Arundel county executive as a result of the suspension of Leopold from his duties. Sweeney acquitted Leopold of three other charges. Leopold faced a five-count grand jury indictment that included four counts of misconduct in office and one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary. The Anne Arundel County Council is expected to vote on Leopold's removal from office as soon as Monday. Prosecutors of the case claimed that Leopold misused his security detail—which is paid for by the county—…
Monday, January 28, 2013
The defense rested its case on Monday morning.
Circuit Court Judge Dennis Sweeney is expected to begin deliberations after closing arguments on Tuesday in the misconduct trial of Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold. Sweeney rejected defense attorney Bruce Marcus' motion for a summary judgment of acquittal on Monday, which was the second time the defense put forth the motion. Sweeney agreed with part of the first motion on Friday, dismissing one misconduct charge against the Pasadena Republican. The judge said when the police drove Leopold around the county to destroy or remove the campaign signs of his opponent Joanna Conti during the 2010 election it showed "poor judgement" but not misconduct in office. Leopold still faces three counts of misconduct in office and one count of …
Friday, January 25, 2013
Circuit Judge Dennis Sweeney said having officers drive Leopold around to remove his opponent's campaign signs did not amount to misconduct in office.
An Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge on Friday found County Executive John Leopold not guilty on one of four counts of misconduct in office. Leopold still faces three counts of misconduct in office and one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary. Judge Dennis Sweeney said while officers assigned to protect Leopold were present when Leopold allegedly destroyed or removed the campaign signs of his opponent Joanna Conti during the 2010 election, it did not rise to the level of misconduct in office. "Mr. Leopold may have been able to be charged with the crimes of theft or malicious destruction of property," Sweeny said. "It was not being done in part and parcel of his office, but [it was] being done as a private citizen." Sweeney'…
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The prosecution rested its case against Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold by submitting documents how much overtime pay his protective detail earned.
Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold's defense strategy in his misconduct trial has started to emerge as the prosecution concluded its case. Defense attorney Bruce Marcus spent the past four days hammering home the arguments that no guidelines exist for officers assigned to the county executive's protection unit and that Leopold's two back surgeries in 2010 severely limited his "self-reliant" nature causing him to lean on an inner circleof associates. Leopold faces a five-count indictment, which includes four counts of misconduct in office and one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary. Leopold waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to let Circuit Court Judge Dennis Sweeny decide his fate. During the final day …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Day three of the misconduct trial of County Executive John Leopold centered around his re-election campaign and its operations.
The third day of testimony in the misconduct trial against Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold centered around his 2010 election campaign. Leopold faces a five-count indictment, which includes four counts of misconduct in office and one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary. His bench trial in front of Circuit Court Judge Dennis Sweeny started in Annapolis on Friday. Leopold's Campaign Signs Cpl. Mark Walker, a 24-year veteran with the Anne Arundel County Police, testified that he placed, distributed and removed campaign signs from around the county during Leopold's 2010 re-election bid. Walker was assigned to Leopold's executive protection unit—a group of officers tasked with protecting the county executive. "Leopold …
Friday, January 18, 2013
The misconduct trial of Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold started with emotional testimony from his former secretary.
In an emotional start to testimony in the official misconduct trial of Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold, his former scheduling secretary cried as she described getting on her "hands and knees" to empty Leopold's urine from his catheter bag. Patricia Meglin testified that after Leopold's back surgery in 2010, he asked her to help him change the bag—which was strapped to his ankle—because he couldn't bend over to do so himself. "I was quiet at first because after he said that he looked at me and said 'You don’t have a problem with that, do you, Patty?'" Meglin said. "It was my experience that you don’t tell him no because then he would consider you un-loyal and then you lost your job ... I just didn’t say no because I was scared of…
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Jury selection begins on Wednesday for the trial of John Leopold, who faces a five-count indictment.
Jury selection begins Wednesday in Anne Arundel Circuit Court in Annapolis in the trial of Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold. The Pasadena Republican faces four counts of misconduct in office and one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary, stemming from a grand jury indictment in March 2012. The grand jury indictment accused Leopold of using county police officers assigned to him for a security detail for a range of inappropriate tasks, including driving him to various locations for sexual liaisons with a county employee, keeping his live-in girlfriend in the dark about his mistress, compiling information on political opponents and driving him around the county to remove his opponent's campaign signs during the 2010 …
Shank
12:13 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
This quote sticks in my head with many of today's politicians, "Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct". ~Thomas Jefferson more ›