The mayor of College Park, Maryland, was arrested on dozens of counts of child pornography Thursday and resigned, authorities said.
\nPatrick Wojahn, 47, was charged with 56 counts of child pornography: 40 counts of possession of child exploitative material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitative material, Prince George\u2019s County police said in a statement.
\nA\u2002statement on the city\u2019s website said Wojahn\u2019s resignation was effective Thursday.
\n\u201cLast 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. Mayor Wojahn has served in this position since 2015 and on Council since 2007. The City of College Park thanks Mayor Wojahn for his many years of dedicated service,\u201d the statement said.
\n\u201cEffective 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. Per the City Charter, a Special Election must be held within 65 days.\u201d
\nIn his resignation letter, also posted on the city\u2019s website, Wojahn wrote that it has been a \u201cprofound honor and privilege\u201d to serve the city.
\n\u201cWhile 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,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of you have already reached out with well wishes and thoughts, and I am eternally grateful. I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health. I ask that you continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.\u201d
\nWojahn could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. It was unclear whether he was in jail.
\nCollege Park has about 35,000 residents, according to the most recent census data.
\nThe criminal investigation began Feb. 17, when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children alerted local police that a social media account operating in Prince George\u2019s County possessed and distributed child pornography, police said.
\n\u201cThe image and videos had been uploaded to the social media account in January of 2023. Through various investigative techniques, PGPD investigators discovered the social media account belonged to Wojahn,\u201d police said.
\nInvestigators recovered multiple cellphones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer when they searched Wojahn\u2019s home with a warrant Tuesday, police said.
\nWojahn was arrested early Thursday, police said.
\nWojahn made history in College Park by becoming the city’s first openly gay man to become mayor, NBC Washington reported in November 2015<\/p>\n
Nbcnews<\/p>\n
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