Former Harford County councilmember Dion Guthrie says he was wrongly removed in new lawsuit

BALTIMORE -- Former Harford County councilmember Dion Guthrie is asking a judge to restore him to his seat on the council after he was wrongly removed.

Guthrie, 86, was removed from the Harford County Council in November after he accepted responsibility for stealing more than $23,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union.

According to the Baltimore Banner, Guthrie served as manager and president of IBEW's Local 1501 for over 50 years. 

A complaint filed in court alleges that Patrick Vincenti, President of the Harford County Council, falsely claimed that Guthrie entered a no-contest plea in court, which was the basis for his removal. 

In a no contest plea, the defendant does not admit guilt - but acknowledges there is enough evidence to secure a conviction.

"Mr. Guthrie has not entered a plea of nolo contendere because a defendant is not permitted to enter that plea with the
"consent of the court" under Maryland Rule 4-242(a) and the judge who considered the plea did not consent," the complaint reads. 

In the complaint, Guthrie's attorney added that the Maryland law stating that a public official will be removed from office upon entering a no-contest plea is not applicable to Guthrie's predicament.

"I have consulted my attorneys, former Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and former Maryland Deputy Attorney General J.B. Howard, and am planning to continue in my position as a duly elected member of the Harford County Council. There is no basis or authority for the suggestion that I should be removed from the Council," Guthrie said in a statement. 

In his statement, Guthrie says his removal from the council was based on "a complete lie" that he entered the no contest plea, and that a judge accepted it.