Tuesday, January 29, 2013
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—…
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…
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Patch wants to know whether you think taxpayers should pay more than $20,000 for County Executive John Leopold's defense against his discrimination lawsuit.
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Attorneys are busy working on a defense strategy for Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold—and taxpayers are the ones paying the legal bills, according to a report from WBFF FOX45. Patch previously reported that Leopold and the county are currently facing potentially costly litigation involving former employees accusing the county executive of official misconduct and gender discrimination. According to WBFF FOX45, Leopold's private attorneys for the federal discrimination lawsuit cost up to $450 an hour and the bill is already more than $20,000 for two weeks of work. The Anne Arundel County Council has discussed Leopold's situation. Patch reported that Councilman Jamie Benoit (D-4th District) said Leopold's court case has become a …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
As first responders and community members gathered for a moment of silence on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Anne Arundel's county executive focused on what he said he sees as the next great threat.
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold focused his remarks at a 9/11 memorial on Tuesday on the importance of cybersecurity. "Cyberterrorism will shut down our electrical grids, shut down our air-traffic-control system, shut down our financial networks," Leopold said. "We spend $4 billion on cyberdefense in this country, which is less than what we spend on agricultural subsidies. We need to do more." He called Anne Arundel County the epicenter of national security effort to combat cyberterrorism because of U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade. In 2011, Patch reported on an increase in congestion around Fort Meade as thousands of new workers commuted to the area on a daily basis. And in 2012, discrepancies between how the White House …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
A judge ruled Thursday that the case against John R. Leopold, originally scheduled for next month, will not be heard until next year.
UPDATE (1:45 p.m.)—Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold will have to wait at least two months longer for his trial, after a court filing was approved Thursday. Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Paul A. Hackner approved postponing Leopold's trial between two months, and possibly up to 2013, so that his defense has more time to prepare, according to The Baltimore Sun. Leopold was indicted by a grand jury in March for four counts of misconduct and one count of financial malfeasance. The Baltimore Sun reported that in court on Thursday, Leopold's attorney Bruce Marcus argued that the defense was looking into the conduct of other officials in Maryland, particularly how they handle security. Leopold's private security team, …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Anne Arundel chapter president says County Council's inaction on the county executive's indictments is "unacceptable."
Sunday, March 11, 2012
A collection of the top stories from March 4-10.
Local residents got their fair share of heavy-hitting news this week. Headlines covered a variety of topics, from the most recent update at Edgewater Elementary to a renowned jazz musician’s passing from an accident on Maryland Route 2. Here’s a brief review of the top five stories of the week. No. 1—Edgewater Elementary’s Air Quality Report Released to Parents The latest update in the Edgewater Elementary saga, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) released the findings Friday afternoon from the indoor air quality study at Edgewater Elementary, telling parents the school’s “environmental conditions do not present a general health hazard.” The 31-page report, conducted by Building Dynamics and its president Ed Light, said Edgewater …
Chris W
5:49 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
There had been rumors for a long time, but it was not until the binding arbitration issue that the police came forward. You just don't cross unions. Dont you know who runs all the unions? more ›