Shellenberger received 44,962 votes or 51% compared to Leonard's 42,847 votes, 49%. We cannot ignore, however, that there are victims of low-level offenses also. The way we catch defendants who are guilty of human trafficking is to make an arrest in a prostitution case, said Shellenberger, who clarified that that doesnt mean that that person needs to be prosecuted for prostitution.. No one thought we could take on a 16-year incumbent but look what we accomplished, said Leonard. Returns were incomplete Tuesday evening, with polls closing at 8 p.m. and a large number of ballots yet to be counted. "The U.S. Attorney's Office will monitor the federal, state and local elections in Chicago and surrounding suburbs on Nov. 6, 2018. Occupation: Baltimore County states attorney, 2007-present. Baltimore County's four-term State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger usually runs for reelection uncontested every four years. Leonard said the incumbents opposition to local police reform policies mobilized him to challenge Shellenberger. Leonard, 40, was the first Democrat to go up against Shellenberger, 63, since the incumbent was elected in 2006. Leonard said he wants to take most of the blame away from the police department in regard to how it handles rape allegations because theyre really just following the directions of Mr. Shellenberger.. Early voting ends Nov. 3. The world has changed a lot in the last four years, Jaros said. And its not OK for the states attorneys office to turn their back on their sworn oath.. (Ex: Low-level drug offenses vs. violent crimes with victims, etc.). Were often hearing from survivors that they want justice, said Rodriguez. State's Attorney Republican Candidates - Vote for 1 Billionaire philanthropist George Soros is listed as the only contributor to the committee in the latest state campaign finance report, donating $884,000. As states attorney, Haynes said, hed scrutinize plea agreements and make sure that assistant states attorneys were not offering them because they were unprepared for trial or lacked resources. Attorney Robbie Leonard said Monday he will challenge Shellenberger in next Junes primary. Leonard said, Just in the past few years weve seen so many civilians who have been killed by the police, whether they were suffering a mental health crisis or just being Black.. Scott Shellenberger won the Baltimore County States Attorney's race according to Baltimore Co Bd of Elections. In other cases, such as the drug trade, its international. Shellenberger takes issue with that, saying his office has prosecuted 19 police officers for various offenses. I am committed to fight for the victims and a hope for peace in their lives after my office has achieved justice for them. Leonard said that incarceration for drug offenses and prostitution doesnt work. Baltimore County State's Attorney. Shellenberger: 30,449 Leonard: 29,531 There remains 28,000 more mail-in ballots to process that Baltimore. Election Day is Nov. 8. Throughout the Democratic campaign, Leonard sought to bring scrutiny to Shellenbergers record in office. I have never shied away from pursuing police officers when they have committed crimes which can be proven. Alternate judge on Employees Compensation Appeals Board in the U.S. Department of Labor from 2006-2016. Return to Election Result Index . What's behind Baltimore County crime and how can the State's Attorney's office help to address those root causes? Deputy States Attorney John Cox, who represented his boss, and Leonard were both present in the final hour of counting. Those that don't or choose not to must be appropriately addressed. 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. (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. When faced with holding police accountable, how should prosecutors navigate investigating and potentially bringing charges against an agency the office works closely with? The woman who confronted Shellenberger about her case told The Sun in an interview she decided to come forward after years of pushing for criminal charges out of desperation and pain, both to get justice for herself and to try to protect other women. Efforts at police reform are probably a never ending process. Amanda Rodriguez, the executive director of the nonpartisan advocacy group TurnAround Inc., said there absolutely has to be a change in how sexual assaults are prosecuted in Baltimore County, regardless of who wins the election. Election Day is Nov. 8. dylan.segelbaum@thebaltimorebanner.com Meet the candidates for Baltimore County state's attorney Scott Shellenberger Age: 63 Residence: Towson Political party: Democratic Appellate administrative judge on the Administrative Review Board in the U.S. Department of Labor, 2019-2021. Hes very intelligent. The PAC filed in mid-June and its spending, only related to Leonards campaign, far outmatched what either candidate raised throughout the primary. Critics have targeted Shellenberger over his handling of sexual assault cases and police involved shooting incidents. 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. . Any questions or feedback can be sent to elections@baltsun.com, or read more about the questionnaire process here. TurnAround, she said, is eager to work with the office on enhancing victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches to working with survivors. Haynes said he would neither solicit campaign donations from staff nor ask them to work the polls. 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. He has also called for an audit to examine possible racial disparities in charging decisions. . There is no Democratic candidate running for State's Attorney in Harford County. David Collins (@dcollinsWBAL) July 29, 2022 Only hundreds of votes. In Gubernatorial Election years, Baltimore County voters will elect the following: Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Comptroller; Attorney General; U.S. Representative (every two years) State Senators; State Delegates; County Executive; County Council; Judges of the Circuit Court (if vacancy exists) A federal judge blocked the county from using its initial map and later accepted a revised version. The death of George Floyd opened many eyes to the need for significant change. Only Shellenberger and the Fraternal Order of Police appeared in opposition, according to Leonard. The county police and fire unions backed Shellenberger, while Leonard won endorsements from local Democratic clubs, progressive groups and other labor organizations, including the county teachers union. an audit to examine possible racial disparities. Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City. Shellenberger was not available for comment Tuesday night. Longtime Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger's record on handling sexual assault cases is in the spotlight as he seeks a fifth term as the county's top prosecutor.. Shellenbergers tactic is to lean on the justice system. One local professor said he sees the closeness of the race as a sign county voters are more open to criminal justice reforms than some previously believed. 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. Lawyer, admitted to the Maryland bar. Both promised comments when the last votes were counted. Haynes described Baltimore County as sort of a regional firewall that can improve the safety of people in the city and surrounding counties if it arrests and convicts criminals. He fulfilled a lifelong dream when elected State's Attorney for Baltimore County in 2006, and was re-elected in 2010, 2014 and 2018. The final unofficial votes were Shellenberger with 44,962 and Leonard with 42,847. The race was marked by heavy outside spending by progressive political action committees that sought to unseat Shellenberger. Of those, the three unnamed prosecutors brought charges in three out of 33. And recent attack ads against Shellenberger airing on televisions and mailed to homes have focused on sexual assaults. David Folderauer, president of the Baltimore County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4, which has endorsed Shellenberger, said its members have worked with him for years and are impressed with how he runs his office. The task forces original report found prosecutors declined to charge in 57% of the audits sampling of sexual assault cases reported from 2016 through 2018, and brought charges in 34%. 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. Shellenberger must defend his office in a jury trial in September against allegations that it and police detectives violated a womans First Amendment rights by trying to stop her from filing criminal charges against men she said raped her. Hes always opposing legislation being put in by Democrats.. The Maryland Justice and Public Safety PAC, funded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, poured nearly $784,000 into the race over a month, flooding many county Democrats mailboxes and social media feeds with advertisements. Tracking prosecutorial decisions is difficult due to a lack of public reporting. 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 . Assistant State's Attorney. She also spoke in June at a virtual town hall hosted by 1199SEIU, a health care union that endorsed Leonard, in partnership with the a new group called Legal Justice Alliance of Baltimore County. Leonard, the first Democrat to challenge the incumbent since Shellenberger was first elected in 2006, criticized the states attorneys handling of such issues as sexual assaults, police shootings and other cases. WYPR - 88.1 FM Baltimore | He later changed his position, saying he saw the value in testing all kits because doing so can link suspects to other sex offenses. He supports diverting low-level offenses out of the criminal justice system and wants to conduct a racial equity audit examining prosecutorial practices. If Leonard clinches the Democratic nomination, hell have ousted one of the most prominent voices on law enforcement and criminal justice in Annapolis. This concept that Im against everything and we have to throw everybody in jail I just think if people really dig into my record they would find that theres a lot there, he said. (AP Photo/Piper Blackburn). The Baltimore Banner may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The state's attorney is elected to a four-year term and earns a salary of $216,749. Our job is to strive to always do the right thing. Early numbers showed a close race between Democrats Shafiyq Hinton and Mike Ertel for the seat now held by Cathy Bevins of Middle River. Their analysis of a random sampling of 2020 cases found positive steps on the police end of investigations: Fewer cases were being closed as unfounded and nearly all included the testing of rape kits. When they counted provisional ballots, I got the most votes. 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