The mayor of College Park, Maryland, was arrested Thursday on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography, according to authorities. The mayor has resigned from his position.
Prince George’s County Police charged Patrick Wojahn, 47, with 40 counts of possessions of child exploitative material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitative material.
Authorities were tipped off by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Feb. 17 after noticing a social media account was distributing the illicit materials in the county.
Police said the images and videos had been uploaded to the social media account in January, and a subsequent investigation led authorities to Mr. Wojahn.
Multiple cell phones, a storage device and a computer were obtained from the mayor’s home after he was served a search warrant Tuesday.
Mr. Wojahn submitted his resignation as mayor Wednesday night, according to a statement from the city.
“It has been a profound honor and privilege to serve the City of College Park since 2007 as a City Councilmember and your Mayor,” Mr. Wojahn’s letter stated. “However, effective immediately, I must resign my position.”
The city said that Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell will serve as presiding officer until a special election is held in the next 65 days. The new mayor will serve until the next mayoral election is held in November.
Mr. Wojahn has served as mayor of College Park since 2015 and had been on the City Council since 2007, according to a Thursday statement from the City of College Park.
“The City of College Park thanks Mayor Wojahn for his many years of dedicated service,” it said.
Correction: A previous headline for this article incorrectly stated that Mr. Wojahn resigned as mayor after he was arrested Thursday. He submitted his resignation the night before his arrest.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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