10-24-2024 1:53pm

"Blood Out Of My Fingers":

Jeff Barto Editor

Harford County Councilman Accused Of Stealing From Union He Led

Dion Guthrie is accused of stealing between $1,500 and $25,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Cockeysville.

A Harford County councilman is facing a felony theft charge after prosecutors said he stole money from the electrical workers union he led for more than five decades, according to court records and reports.

Dion Guthrie, 86, is charged with one count of theft between $1,500 and $25,000, according to online court records. Charging documents obtained by the Baltimore Sun allege that Guthrie, a Democrat representing District A, stole funds from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1501 in Cockeysville between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2021.

According to a WBAL-TV report, Guthrie is accused of using the union's American Express card to cover $15,000 worth of personal expenses and taking more than $8,300 from the union's health and welfare fund.

Guthrie served as the union's president and manager for 52 years, reports said.

Baltimore County Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Lippe told the Sun that Guthrie has agreed to an Alford plea, which acknowledges the state has sufficient evidence for a conviction but does not require Guthrie to admit guilt.

Lippe also told the Sun that prosecutors will recommend the court enter a probation before judgment in the case, meaning that the charge could be cleared from Guthrie's record after he serves probation.

If convicted, Maryland state law would require his removal from public office.

In a phone interview with Maryland Matters, Guthrie said he was not guilty of theft.

He also compared the case to the accusations of improper property tax credits leveled against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the scrutiny faced by Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. for land deals and a payout to a retired county employee and last year's grand jury investigation of Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly.

“I’m the latest Alsobrooks and Johnny O and Bob Cassilly, you know, all the different things that people can drum up in this political era,” Guthrie told Maryland Matters. “I’m just a pawn in all this stuff going on all over the country.”

Guthrie told the Sun on Wednesday that he has written restitution checks to the union totaling about $23,000.

“I tell you, blood was running out of my fingers,” he said of writing the checks.