Litigation Avoided As State's Attorney And Cassilly Administration Reach Agreement On Email Access

HARFORD COUNTY - An agreement between Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly and State's Attorney Alison Healey will avoid potential litigation following a dispute over email access, the State's Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.

"In an effort of good faith and yet another attempt to resolve this situation amicably and without additional burden to the citizens of Harford County, Ms. Healey reached out to Mr. Cassilly again today, renewing her request for access to the required State's Attorney's Office data prior to filing action with the Court. Mr. Cassilly responded moments ago that his administration will now grant Ms. Healey's request for access to the data. Ms. Healey thanks Mr. Cassilly and his administration for their reconsideration," the Harford County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

The conflict emerged when an executive member of Healey's office took an extended, approved leave of absence. The temporary reassignment of their duties required access to their official county email account. Jefferson Blomquist, an attorney for the county executive's office, denied this request, which Healey claims was "in retaliation for my referral of a recent investigation into their conduct."

Healey is referring to the criminal complaint lodged by County Councilman Aaron Penman. The complaint accuses County Executive Bob Cassilly of monitoring phone calls and email exchanges involving himself, the county sheriff, ex-County Executive Barry Glassman, land-use attorney Joseph Snee Jr., and several "selected citizens." The investigation has led to subpoenas demanding records from the county executive's department. Cassilly has refuted the allegations, stating that an "exhaustive internal investigation revealed no grounds" for the claims.

Maryland Matters reports that following the agreement, a county executive's office representative clarified that while future emails to the employee would be forwarded to the state's attorney's office, prior emails would remain untouched. All parties contacting the staff member in question will be informed of the email redirection.

More News from Havre de Grace

• Bus and dump truck donated to Cecil College CDL program These contributions play a crucial role in training students to operate vehicles they will encounter after graduating from the program.
• Man Opens Plane Door, Climbs On Wing Before Flight To BWI Airport A man opened a plane's emergency exit and climbed on the wing before a Baltimore-bound flight, authorities said. He was hospitalized after the mental health emergency.