SALISBURY, Md. - The Wicomico County Council has approved a budget amendment allowing the county to pay nearly $287,000 to the State of Maryland as its share of compensation awarded to a Salisbury man who was wrongfully convicted and later exonerated.
Council members voted on June 16 to authorize a $286,706.01 transfer from the county's fund balance to the State's Attorney's Special Prosecutions budget, paving the way for the payment to be made before a June 30 state deadline. The measure was requested by County Executive Julie Giordano's administration and the Department of Finance.
The payment stems from a change in Maryland law that took effect last year. Under the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025, counties are now responsible for 50 percent of compensation awards granted under Maryland's wrongful conviction compensation program, known as the Walter Lomax Act.
County Finance Director Pamela Oland wrote in a letter to Wicomico County Administrator Bunky Luffman that several counties and the Maryland Association of Counties pushed lawmakers to repeal the requirement during the 2026 legislative session, but the law remained unchanged. As a result, Wicomico County became one of the first jurisdictions required to make a payment under the new mandate.
According to documents provided to the council, the state billed Wicomico County $286,706.01 for Fiscal Year 2026. A letter from the Maryland Board of Public Works shows Wicomico and Baltimore City were the only jurisdictions assessed for erroneous conviction awards this fiscal year. Baltimore City's share totaled more than $1.3 million.
The payment is part of the wrongful conviction compensation awarded to Tavon Tull, who was originally sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged rape in Wicomico County in 2019. That conviction was later overturned and the case dismissed after a review by the Wicomico County State’s Attorney. Under the revised state law, the county where an erroneous conviction occurred is responsible for half of the compensation paid by the state.
With Tuesday's approval, county officials can now move forward with remitting the payment to Maryland before the June 30 deadline.
