BALTIMORE, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon will resign Feb. 4 as part of an "Alford plea" agreement on a perjury charge against her, prosecutors said Wednesday.
By entering the plea, Dixon acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to find her guilty on charges that she failed to disclose gifts received from a developer who was doing business with the city and promised to resign, The Baltimore Sun reported.
The resignation means City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will become Baltimore's mayor, the newspaper said.
The agreement, reached between defense attorneys and prosecutors and approved by Judge Dennis Sweeney, calls for Dixon to serve up to four years of unsupervised probation, perform 500 hours of community service and contribute $45,000 to charity, The Sun reported.
"I think it was time for this case to end," State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh told reporters. "I thought it was important that the mayor resign so that this city can move forward and have a new mayor that hasn't been tainted with corruption."
A jury found Dixon guilty last month on a related charge of stealing gift cards intended for needy families.
