College Park, Maryland Mayor Arrested on 56 Counts of Child Pornography Charges

College Park, Maryland mayor Patrick Wojahn has been arrested on 56 counts of child pornography charges following a search at his home by authorities last month, CBS News reports.

According to Prince George’s County police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted them that a social media account in the county was believed to have possessed and distributed suspected child pornography. The illicit material was uploaded to the account sometime in January, and it was later traced back to the 47-year-old mayor. Wojahn has been charged with 40 counts of possession of child exploitative material and 15 counts of distribution of child exploitative material.

He was arrested on Thursday, just hours after he resigned from his role as College Park mayor. Detectives searched his home on Feb. 28 and seized numerous cell phones, a tablet, a personal computer, and a storage device.

In a statement from the city of College Park, Wojahn submitted his resignation after office hours on Wednesday. “Last night, after business hours, Mayor Patrick L. Wojahn submitted his letter of resignation as Mayor of the City of College Park, effective immediately on March 2,” the statement reads. “Mayor Wojahn has served in this position since 2015 and on the Council since 2007. The City of College Park thanks Mayor Wojahn for his many years of dedicated service.” Born and raised in Wisconsin, Wojahn served on the city’s council for eight years before he first ran for mayor in 2015. 

Denise Mitchell is serving as mayor pro tem until a forthcoming special election. The investigation into Wojahn is still ongoing, police have confirmed.