2 names sent in for state position

Job is prosecutor who investigates political corruption

A Baltimore homicide prosecutor and an assistant attorney general have been nominated to become the next state prosecutor, who investigates political corruption.

A committee charged with reviewing applications has sent two names to Gov. Larry Hogan to consider: Michael Dunty, an assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore, and Charlton T. Howard III, an assistant attorney general for the state.

They were among 18 people who applied for the job.

State Prosecutor, Emmet Davitt retired this summer after nine years in office, prosecuting officials such as former Baltimore County schools superintendent Dallas Dance and former Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold. Davitt’s salary was $159,433 a year.

Dance served jail time after pleading guilty in 2018 to failing to disclose income from parttime consulting work for a company that did business with the school system. Leopold was convicted in 2013 and sent to jail on two counts of misconduct in office after being accused of using county staff to carry out personal and political tasks.

Howard is chief of the Office of Special Counsel at the Maryland attorney general’s office, according to his online resume.

He previously was an assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore, a law clerk for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and executive assistant director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he retired with the rank of captain from the U.S. Navy Reserves.

Dunty is an assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore, where he is a “team captain” for homicide investigations, according to his online resume.

He previously was an assistant state’s attorney in Anne Arundel County, a senior assistant state prosecutor and a law clerk in the Calvert County Circuit Court.

Hogan, a Republican, has 30 days to appoint one of the men or reject the nominees.