County Councilman Ken Oliver's wife, a former defense attorney, a planning board member and a Randallstown contractor are all on the list of prosecution witnesses scheduled to testify when the councilman's criminal trial begins in Baltimore County Circuit Court Tuesday.

State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh announced a grand jury's eight-count indictment of Oliver on Jan. 5.

The indictment includes two counts of felony theft related to loans he allegedly made to himself or his wife, Thelma Oliver. If convicted, Oliver, a Democrat from the 4th District, which includes Randallstown and Woodlawn, could face up to 15 years in prison and be fined up to $25,000 for each count.

Oliver, first elected in 2002, also faces six misdemeanor counts of election law violations for which, if found guilty, he could be sentenced to one year in jail and fined up to $25,000 per violation.

The investigation and indictment followed articles published in spring 2008 by Patuxent Publishing Co., publisher of this newspaper, that detailed irregularities in Oliver's campaign finances.

Prosecution witnesses scheduled to appear at the trial include Towson defense attorney Richard Karceski; Aaron Dock, a planning board member appointed by Oliver; and Randallstown-based contractor Harvey Harris.

How Harris and Dock are connected to the case has not been made public.

"I can't comment prior to trial," said assistant state prosecutor Shelly Glenn, who is prosecuting the case. "They will be important witnesses."

Both are listed in court records as having testified before a grand jury last fall.

Dock, an Owings Mills resident, has been a member of the planning board since 2002. His biography on the planning board Web site lists his occupation as owner of Randallstown-based Small Business Capital, but state Department of Assessment and Taxation records show that the company's corporate charter was forfeited in April 2007. An undated resume provided to the county as part of his appointment lists Dock as a vice president or business development officer for four banking institutions.

Dock is also listed in a Home Builders Association of Maryland guide as an executive vice president of Baltimore-based L&J Construction, a minority contractor that provides roll-off trash container services as well as dump truck rental.

Messages left at phone numbers associated with Dock were not returned.

Harris, owner of Randallstown-based Harvey Harris Contractors, acknowledged that he testified before a grand jury convened by the state prosecutor last fall.

"I didn't do any contracting work for (Oliver)," Harris said during a phone interview. He declined to say how he was connected to the trial.

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