Anne Arundel County exec Leopold resigns after misconduct conviction

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold has resigned from office following his conviction this week on misconduct charges.

Mr. Leopold, a Republican, was automatically suspended from office on Tuesday when he was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of misconduct stemming from charges that he used public employees to perform personal tasks. It was alleged that he ordered police officers to put up campaign signs and collect information on political opponents and directed county employees to empty urine from his catheter bag during a hospital stay.

County officials announced Friday that Mr. Leopold, 69, issued a letter of resignation the day before. He has been replaced by acting County Executive John Hammond.

While Mr. Leopold — a former state legislator in Maryland and Hawaii — was found guilty on two counts, he was acquitted last week on charges that he gave public overtime pay to officers on his personal security detail. Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Leopold used the officers as transportation to and from parking lot sexual encounters and as security during a hospital stay, where their job was to keep his girlfriend from meeting his live-in partner.

Mr. Leopold is scheduled to be sentenced on March 14 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

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