Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon won a significant legal victory Thursday when a Circuit Court judge dismissed four perjury charges and one misconduct charge against her, saying they were based on improper evidence. Dixon still faces seven other criminal charges, including theft.
The judge, retired Howard County Circuit Court Judge Dennis M. Sweeney, also dropped all criminal charges in a separate case against City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton, who had been indicted for bribery.
Dixon declined comment, telling reporters at an afternoon event in Canton, "You can talk to Arnold Weiner, my attorney."
In a telephone interview, Weiner said he is "analyzing the rulings." Dale P. Kelberman, who also represents the mayor, said he was "very pleased" with the judge's dismissal of the perjury charges.
Councilwoman Holton's reaction was less measured: "God that can do anything but fail has found favor with this child of his ... HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!" she wrote in an e-mail to supporters.
State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh said he is "strongly leaning toward" appealing the judge's decision in Holton's case.
As for the dismissed charges against Dixon, Rohrbaugh said his team has to "make some decisions about how we are going to proceed." Options include appealing the decision, re-indicting the mayor using different evidence or going ahead with the trial on the remaining charges. Should he appeal or re-indict, the trial likely would be delayed; it is currently scheduled to begin in September.
Dixon remains charged with theft and misconduct in office for allegedly using gift cards donated by developers and intended for needy children.
She had been indicted for perjury for failing to report on city ethics disclosure forms that she had received gifts from developers Ronald H. Lipscomb and Patrick Turner. Prosecutors asserted that as the council member who had introduced the ethics law, she would have been aware that any gifts from the pair, who both did business with the city, must be reported. Additionally, they said, she voted for several tax breaks for Lipscomb's projects.
The prosecutors accused Holton of accepting $12,500 for a poll from Lipscomb in exchange for shepherding through her City Council committee millions of dollars in tax breaks for his projects.
