Patrick Wojahn, the mayor of College Park, Maryland, resigned on Wednesday, one day before he was arrested and charged with 56 counts of child pornography.
According to authorities, he was charged with 40 counts of possession of child exploitation material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitation material.
Thursday during a news conference, Prince George’s County Police Chief Aziz Malik called the situation “unsettling.”
It is troubling that people rely on public officials, who are expected to be honest, trustworthy, and possess a high level of integrity, in so many ways, as stated by Malik. Before becoming mayor in 2015, Wojahn served on the municipal council.
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In his resignation letter to the city, Wojahn stated: “A search warrant was executed on my house on February 28, 2023, as part of an ongoing police investigation. I have cooperated completely with law authorities and will continue to do so.”
“Although this probe does not include any official municipal business, it is in the best interest of our community that I stand aside so as not to serve as a distraction,” wrote Wojahn. “I am withdrawing to address my mental health.”
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted Prince George’s County Police that child pornography had been uploaded to the chat service KiK as early as January 10. According to authorities, KiK erased the films and subsequently notified the NCMEC, which alerted the police on February 17.
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The Maryland State’s Attorney submitted a subpoena to Yahoo! for information on the email account associated with the KiK account, according to the statement of charges. According to officials, the Yahoo! account’s recovery email was Wojahn’s official government email.
Afterward, police executed a search warrant at the College Park residence of the former mayor. According to authorities, investigators seized numerous mobile phones, a storage device, a tablet, and a computer.
Authorities said they do not yet know the identities of the victims, and they had no indication that Wojahn knew them.
According to the criminal complaint, Wojahn told police during a search on February 28 that he “had viewed and possesses child pornographic files.”
According to authorities, he also stated that he “may have passed it on” after seeing child pornographic files, implying that he transmitted such files to other individuals.
The police stated they do not think Wojahn created the pornographic material discovered. In addition, they stated that there is no evidence that he utilized his position as mayor in the case.
The police expect further charges to be filed in the continuing investigation. Wojahn faces up to 360 years in jail if convicted.
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