Former Anne Arundel register of wills appeals theft conviction

Former Anne Arundel County Register of Wills Erica Griswold is appealing her May shoplifting conviction, according to court documents.

Griswold, 50, remains free on a $300 bond after appealing her conviction to the Circuit Court of Anne Arundel County. No hearing date has been set.

Griswold was arrested in March for attempting to leave a Severn-area Walmart with more than $160 in sheets and curtains, according to a police report filed with the court.

Prosecutors in May told a judge during a bench trial that while using a self-service checkout area at the store, Griswold failed to ring up some items and used a tag from a lower-priced item to make it appear as if she was ringing up others, citing video from the store that appeared to support the accounts of police and a store security employee.

A defense attorney described Griswold’s checkout as “chaotic.” The attorney said Griswold at times scanned items and placed them on all sides of the register and on the floor. Her attorney argued some were placed in a second empty cart provided by a store employee who was, at times, attempting to assist Griswold.

During her own testimony, Griswold claimed she was rushing out of the store because of a call about an uncle who had just been admitted to the hospital. Under cross-examination, she told prosecutors that the call came just as she arrived at the self-checkout lane.

Video of the area did not show a phone call. Neither Griswold nor her attorney offered evidence of a call or a hospital admission.

Anne Arundel District Court Judge Shaem Spencer rejected Griswold’s explanation. As he watched a 21-minute store surveillance video showing Griswold completing four separate transactions, Spencer described in open court what he saw — Griswold scanning items the judge said he believed were lower cost. He said Griswold “concealed” other unscanned items or moved more expensive items into her cart.

Spencer sentenced Griswold to six months in jail, but suspended that sentence and tacked on 3 years of supervised probation.

Griswold was already serving a sentence of unsupervised probation stemming from a June 2024 guilty plea to misconduct in office, after she was charged with stealing $6,600 in estate taxes paid to her office when she served as Anne Arundel County register of wills.

As a result of the plea, Griswold was forced out of office. She was sentenced to 18 months in jail. The judge suspended that sentence and ordered Griswold to serve two years of supervised probation.

If her latest conviction stands, Griswold could face potential repercussions for violating her probation in the first case. No hearing has been set for a new trial for Griswold in the shoplifting case. A conference before a judge is scheduled for July.