The mayor of College Park, Maryland, Patrick Wojahn, was arrested Thursday on 56 child pornography possession and distribution charges.
The 47-year gay Democrat faces 40 counts of possession of exploitative child material and 16 counts of distribution of exploitative child material, a press release from the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) said.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children first alerted the department that a social media account operating within the county was distributing “suspected child pornography” on February 17, according to the PGPD.
Through an investigation, authorities determined that the account belonged to the sitting mayor. On February 28, the PGPD executed a search warrant at his home in College Park, seizing “multiple cell phones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer.”
#Breaking: College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn is being investigated for possession and distribution of child pornography after a search warrant was issued according to sources close to this investigation, he is now in police custody. pic.twitter.com/LyHfKjLA4D
— Tracee Wilkins (@TraceeWilkins) March 2, 2023
“Following additional investigation, PGPD obtained criminal charges against Wojahn and investigators took him into custody early this morning,” the department wrote in the release.
Wojahn has submitted his resignation from the mayorship, which he has held since 2015. He was the city’s first openly gay mayor, NBC News Washington reported at the time of his first election.
“I have cooperated fully, and will continue to cooperate, with law enforcement,” he said in his resignation letter.
Ryna Quinones, with the city’s communications office, thanked “Wojhan for his many years of dedicated service” in the press release.
In another release responding to his arrest, she called the news “distressing” for the city.
“The City knows that this news is distressing and difficult for our community, and we encourage our residents to seek any help they feel necessary to work through this trying time,” she wrote.
Patrick Wojahn, the first openly gay mayor of College Park, MD—who was also a regular White House guest and Pete Buttigieg “mentee”—has just been arrested on 56 counts of child porn. pic.twitter.com/ySOtwS3XP7
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 3, 2023
Just a few months ago, he was at the White House with his husband, Dave Kolesar, for President Joe Biden’s signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, WTOP reported. Of note, WTOP is a subsidiary of Hubbard Radio Washington, DC, where Koleasar works.
“Effective immediately, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell will serve as presiding officer until a Special Election is held and a new Mayor has been sworn in,” Quinones wrote in a release.
