The investigation into “inappropriate” behavior by a key aide to Mayor Sheila Dixon has been completed ? with Baltimore County police turning over their findings to the county prosecutor?s office.
Police said they have provided results of their findings to Baltimore County State?s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, who will decide whether to bring charges against Anthony McCarthy, Dixon?s former communications director.
Cpl. Mike Hill, a Baltimore County police spokesman, said officers did not interview McCarthy during their investigation.
The probe, which police concluded two weeks ago, included the seizure of McCarthy?s personal computer.
Hill said it?s not unusual for police to ask Shellenberger?s office to review an investigation prior to deciding whether to arrest an individual.
“Unless it is an on-view arrest, we do not arrest until the case has been fully reviewed,” Hill said, referring to departmental procedure. “Right now, we are just waiting to hear from them.”
Shellenberger was not available for comment.
Dixon suspended McCarthy in November in the midst of the Baltimore County probe. Police and city officials declined to comment specifically on the nature of the allegations facing McCarthy.
“I was shocked and disappointed to learn of the allegations currently being investigated by the Baltimore County Police Department,” the mayor said in a statement when she suspended McCarthy.
McCarthy was the only person authorized in city government to speak for Dixon. His position has not been officially filled, although Baltimore Police Department spokesman Sterling Clifford has been substituting for McCarthy during the investigation.
McCarthy joined the Dixon administration in February after he worked for her when she was City Council president from 2003 to 2004. In 2006, McCarthy unsuccessfully ran for a state delegate seat. He also has worked as a radio host for WYPR, 88.1 FM, a local affiliate of National Public Radio.
