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Baltimore County prosecutors have dismissed a misdemeanor theft charge filed against Pat McDonough, the Republican nominee for Baltimore County executive, over allegations by a primary opponent that McDonough stole a campaign sign.
State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said the case was dropped “at the request of the victim.”
McDonough, 78, was charged with one count of theft under $100 after Darren Badillo — a Rosedale deacon whom McDonough trounced in the primary — accused the former state delegate of stealing one of his campaign signs on East Joppa Road in May.
Shellenberger said Badillo, 39, asked that the charge be dismissed; Badillo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We didn’t care about it one way or the other,” McDonough said about the trial, which was scheduled for Aug. 29.
“It was a nothingburger,” the legislator-turned-conservative-commentator said. “It was a big lie and we said that from the beginning.”
Charging documents say someone forwarded Badillo photos of a man identified as McDonough taking one of Badillo’s campaign signs.
McDonough said he removed the sign after he found it sitting atop his own 3-by-4-foot campaign sign, which he said was knocked over. The Middle River resident said he “impounded” the sign because he intended to file a complaint against Badillo’s campaign.
Following the accusation, the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee issued a statement that members had “formally voted to condemn candidate Pat McDonough for the theft of an opponent’s campaign sign” during a committee meeting in mid-June.
A committee representative couldn’t be reached for comment.
McDonough, who represented parts of Baltimore and Harford counties in the State House from 2003-2019 (on top of his four years in the legislature in the early 1980s), handily won the six-way Republican primary for county executive with 40% of the vote, according to Maryland Board of Elections results.
McDonough will face incumbent County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. in November’s general election. The Democrat beat his lone primary challenger with more than 80% of his party’s vote.
taylor.deville@thebaltimorebanner.com
Read more:
- Slew of Republicans vie for Baltimore County exec, while Olszewski waits
- Olszewski holds commanding lead in Baltimore County executive primary; McDonough leads GOP field
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Taylor DeVille covered Baltimore County government for The Baltimore Banner with a focus on the County Executive, County Council, accountability and quality of life issues affecting suburban residents. Before joining The Banner, Taylor covered Baltimore County government and breaking news for The Baltimore Sun.
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