Maryland mayor arrested on 56 counts of child sex abuse images

Patrick Wojahn, 47, faces up to 360 years in prison if convicted after arrest in Prince George County

A Maryland mayor was arrested for possession and distribution of child sex abuse images and faces up to 360 years behind bars if convicted, say authorities.

Patrick Wojahn, the 47-year-old mayor of College Park, was charged by Prince George County police with 40 counts of possession of child exploitative material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitative material.

The arrest came after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified police about a social media account distributing suspected material, reported WJLA.

Investigators say that the social media account with the screen name “skippy_md” allegedly belonged to Mr Wojahn and that his government email address was allegedly linked to it.

Detectives searched his home on 28 February and recovered cell phones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer.

The suspect was elected mayor of College Park in November 2015 after serving eight years as a council member.

He submitted his resignation as mayor on Wednesday night, according to FOX5.

“On February 28, 2023, a search warrant was executed on my residence as part of an ongoing police investigation. I have cooperated fully, and will continue to cooperate, with law enforcement,” said Mr Wojahn in his letter of resignation.

“While this investigation does not involve any official city business of any kind, it is in the best interests of our community that I step aside and not serve as a distraction.”

Police say that it remains an open and active investigation.

“We send a clear message to anyone involved in this type of material that units like this are looking, they’re working every day to make sure that we have a safe county and a safe state,” said Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz.