Anne Arundel police said they found County Executive John R. Leopold fully clothed and alone when officers responded to a 911 call reporting sexual activity inside the county-owned car parked at the Westfield Annapolis mall.
“The only person we made contact with was County Executive John R. Leopold,” said police spokesman Justin Mulcahy on Wednesday, adding that Leopold was clothed.
“Officers didn’t corroborate the information that was reported and subsequently cleared the complaint as unfounded.”
The alleged Jan. 30 incident, as first reported by the Capital in Annapolis, began with an anonymous 911 call made about 5:37 p.m. from the Nordstrom department store.
Leopold declined to comment Wednesday through a spokesman.
In a written statement, he said: “It is unfortunate to have to respond to rumors and gossip” surrounding an allegation that was “found to have no merit.”
“The police acted within minutes and found absolutely nothing improper. I will not dignify this matter with further comment,” he said in the statement.
Police released a recording Wednesday of the 911 call in which an unidentified man told the dispatcher, “I see some activity going on in a car, and I don’t think it’s proper.”
The caller described seeing people in a black Chevrolet Impala, which turned out to be Leopold’s government-issued vehicle.
“It looks like sexual activity to me … I’m not positive, but it looks like there’s naked people in the car,” the caller said.
An officer arrived two minutes later and drove past the black Chevrolet without stopping.
The caller told the dispatcher in a second 911 call that the police did not stop by the vehicle in question.
The officer was then directed to stop by Leopold’s car seven minutes after the first call.
“It’s the county executive himself in the back seat,” an officer said in a recorded radio transmission also released by police.
The officer didn’t mention whether someone was with Leopold, an unmarried man, but Mulcahy said Wednesday that police “only spoke with and saw County Executive Leopold.”
Leopold’s spokesman, Dave Abrams, would not confirm why Leopold was sitting alone in the parking lot.
No charges were filed, but the allegations created a buzz in Annapolis, including rumors that Leopold met this past week with Anne Arundel Police Chief James Teare to discuss the incident.
Mulcahy said he would not speculate on the rumored meeting.
The news comes at a time when the county is facing major issues, such as a $150 million budget deficit.
“The actions of two consenting adults are of no business of ours,” said Council Chairman Ed Reilly.
“Whatever happened wasn’t on county time, and honestly, it’s none of our business.”
Several other county council members declined to comment Wednesday.
