Leonard said arresting possible human trafficking victims preposterous. If re-elected, Shellenberger plans to prioritize prosecuting violent crime, which has been on the rise in Baltimore County. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policies | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell My Personal Information | Ad Choices. Haynes brought up the allegations in the lawsuit that led to the recent settlement. I am absolutely committed to that. We came up short of victory but we started a real conversation for change, he said. We have removed the defense that a person cannot be convicted of sexually assaulting a spouse. That included Democrat Izzy Patoka of Pikesville. The winner of the primary will go on to the general election to face Republican James A. Haynes, 72, a former federal labor department administrative judge who lives in Rodgers Forge, or Deborah Hill, 60, a private practice attorney who lives in Cockeysville. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Offers may be subject to change without notice. On Tuesday, Bates, 54, of Locust Point, was elected as the next Baltimore state's attorney. Now, for the first time in 12 years, Shellenberger faces a Republican opponent, Jim Haynes, an attorney and former Maryland assistant attorney general, on Election Day. The states attorney said he has supported what he considers reasonable criminal justice reform, and touted his long experience prosecuting crime and supervising dozens of attorneys. Campaign website: www.haynesforbaltimorecounty.com, www.thebaltimorebanner.com 2022 The Baltimore Banner. Leonard, 40, was the first Democrat to go up against Shellenberger, 63, since the incumbent was elected in 2006. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. HUNT VALLEY Baltimore County's incumbent state's attorney beat back an upstart primary challenger and will move on to the November general election. This has to be balanced with our efforts to pursue the assertive prosecution of crimes of violence to assure the public knows they can feel safe to live in this County and that they will be protected. But this year, his 16th in office, he has faced the most sustained criticism of his career. Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby lost her reelection bid to defense attorney Ivan Bates in the Democratic primary after she was indicted by a grand jury on federal charges. State Del. Baltimore County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4, Baltimore County Republican Central Committee, CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice. County Executive . Printer Friendly Version. A civil trial is scheduled for September. Soros has funded campaigns around the country to elect progressive local prosecutors. The statement came hours after The Daily Record reported that Shellenberger told his staff he needed time away from the office, citing exhaustion after the election. Prosecutors had declined to take the case, but the woman tried to pursue charges on her own through the court commissioner. Leonard agreed that crime needs to be addressed and that residents feel unsafe. Leonard has run unsuccessfully for public office twice before, including a close state senate race he lost in 2018 to Republican Chris West. He said the close primary made him realize that he needs to more frequently publicize some of the reforms that hes implemented including putting in place a marijuana diversion program and supporting the adoption of police body cameras. . Incumbent Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger, left, a Democrat, and Jim Haynes, right, a Republican, are running against each other. Doug Riley, who served on the Baltimore County Council from 1990-1998, said hes known Haynes for almost 40 years and believes that he has a good perspective about the criminal justice system and how it can be used to help people. His office issued a statement Thursday saying he plans to return the week after next, and is still in consistent contact with staff and making management decisions. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Leonard supporters said the candidates platform is what attracted voters. The Baltimore Banner may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. I will continue to fight to get more resources to properly fund an office which can address all crime. He was challenged by Tony Fugett, who was one of an unprecedented number of Black candidates across the county to run for council after the redistricting lawsuit. The death of George Floyd opened many eyes to the need for significant change. There is no statute of limitation on rape in the state of Maryland. Haynes, 72, of Rodgers Forge, is a retired administrative judge with the U.S. Department of Labor and a former state assistant attorney general. Haynes has called himself "a political. Robbie Leonard, an attorney in private practice who is challenging Shellenberger in Tuesdays Democratic primary, said that if elected, he would want to improve trauma-informed strategies used by staff and attorneys who communicate with victims, and to collaborate with groups that advocate for survivors. On election day I got the most votes. Rodriguez, who has been working as an advocate for the woman who confronted Shellenberger, said the reasoning for why prosecutors arent moving forward has been inconsistent. Rodriguez is a former prosecutor in Shellenbergers office and said she would have brought criminal charges against the womans attacker, based on the facts of the case. The public perception of the criminal justice system. The prosecutor, Lisa Dever, told The Sun her intent was to explain you cant know jurors past experiences or what theyll bring to a case. Baltimore County State's Attorney is challenged on prosecution . Leonard is the secretary of the Maryland Democratic Party. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Incumbent Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger remained ahead in the Democratic primary for his office after more than 12,000 more mail-in votes were added Sunday, extending his lead over progressive challenger Robbie Leonard to 2,150 votes in the latest accounting of mail-in ballots. I dont find that acceptable, but that is the reality, Shellenberger said. I believe the large majority of the officers have earned that respect. For the first time in a decade, Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger (D) will have a Republican opponent to campaign against if he can beat Robbie Leonard (D) in the 2022 primary election. The public then expects a decision by their State's Attorney to pursue prosecution when appropriate. The Working Families Party and Progressive Maryland endorsed Robbie Leonard in the 2022 race for Baltimore County States Attorney on Tuesday. From our perspective, we see the states attorney as a law-and-order candidate, Folderauer said And obviously, that is the oath that we have taken. For the first time in a decade, Baltimore County States Attorney Scott Shellenberger (D) will have a Republican opponent to campaign against if he can beat Robbie Leonard (D) in the 2022 primary election. Scott Shellenberger won the Baltimore County States Attorney's race according to Baltimore Co Bd of Elections. It appears that this has been accomplished. The strength of Leonards candidacy, I think, suggests that the public has an appetite for criminal justice reform.. As precinct ballots were tallied, Leonard maintained the marginal lead of 860 votes over Shellenberger, who had gone unchallenged in the primary race for his seat since the "tough on crime" prosecutor was . The race got heated between former state delegate Pat McDonough and Darren Badillo, an auto sales manager and deacon at Rosedale Baptist Church. I worked to remove a requirement of "resistance" by victims of a sexual assault. Acie Spencer, 55, said he voted for Shellenberger and other incumbents who he says have run their offices effectively. Name Party Early Voting Published on: July 20, 2022 12:12 AM EDT|Updated on: July 22, 2022 6:28 PM EDT. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Shellenberger also refuted the notion that he is too close with the countys Fraternal Order of Police, saying he has a list of 18 police officers including the organizations past president that his office has prosecuted in the past few years. Assistant State's Attorney. District Court Division. It is among dozens of groups pumping money into local races for head prosecutor across the U.S. and funded generously by New York billionaire George Soros and groups associated with him. With roughly 35,000 Baltimore County ballots yet to be counted, the Democratic primary for states attorney was extremely close Tuesday night, with hundreds of votes separating attorney and Maryland Democratic Party Secretary Robbie Leonard and longtime incumbent Scott Shellenberger. Incumbent Scott Shellenberger gained ground in the Democratic primary race for Baltimore County state's attorney as mail-in ballots are tallied, taking a narrow lead Friday over. I think we have kept things fresh, even though Ive been here a long time, Shellenberger said. I always wondered, like, how is this states attorney a Democrat? [Live election results: Maryland Gubernatorial primary]. Then there is the GOP Primary battle for Harford County State's Attorney. The Sun obtained a recording of the May 16 exchange from Leonard, who also spoke in the event. The Maryland PAC is affiliated with the national Justice & Public Safety PAC, which has helped fund progressive prosecutor candidates in Virginia and Pennsylvania in recent years. When they counted provisional ballots, I got the most votes. Theres a point at which you get out of the process. He said at the time that law enforcement has limited resources, and often a rape suspects identity is not in question because the victim and perpetrator know each other. In one meeting, according to the woman, who is Black, a prosecutor cited a past sexual assault case where the victim also was a Black woman. We have a very robust program thats been going on for a couple years now to get caught up on this, so I think I think were doing a better job there, he said. Leonard is the secretary of the Maryland Democratic Party. Shellenberger said he acted out of concern for the woman, because he believed the men might file criminal charges or a lawsuit against her. Not just paying your salary paying for your mistakes.. I have spent the majority of my career in public service, serving 14 years as a senior assistant state's attorney in the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office, and now working in the . He said it is worth prosecuting low-level crimes and that the court system is, at times, what gets someone help. What is the most pressing issue facing the county's State's Attorney's office? On the other hand, Shellenberger pointed to his decision to prosecute Baltimore County Police Officer James Laboard on a charge of manslaughter in the death of Christopher Brown, 17, of Randallstown, though a jury came back with a not guilty verdict in 2013. He said Shellenberger is out of touch with Democratic primary voters. Members of the BCSAO Honors Law Clerk Program are full-time benefitted employees of the BCSAO. When youre trying to explain to someone the reasons why you cant go forward, you have to give real-life experiences as to what happens in other cases to give it context. 53,603 ballots were sent to Baltimore . We have succeeded over the years to get the Maryland Legislature to change many antiquated laws which allowed some sex offenders to get away with their crimes. Last summer, he represented unemployed Marylanders who successfully challenged Republican Gov. Specifically, Leonard criticized the states attorney for not prosecuting police officers involved in fatal shootings. Thats what I was trying to do, and Im sorry she took it to be anything other than what it was, Dever said. We came up short of victory, but we started a real conversation for change, said Leonard, speaking to reporters at the county Board of Elections building. She hopes to see more transparency in case data, such as publicly available information to examine any trends around victim demographics or the outcomes of prosecutors review, she said. This is a place where I was well prepared when I first came into office and am even more prepared to continue to lead the office now, he added. -- Two big races played out on Election Day in Baltimore County in 2022. The office has declined to create written guidelines for review and prosecution of sexual offenses or to put in place the national best practices compiled by the task force. Gaskill has had bylines in The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune, among other publications. Shellenberger said that older kits are currently being tested even in cases where it wasnt stranger-on-stranger. Thus far, 400 older kits have been tested and 300 more are on deck. Juris doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1981. 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