Democrat Maryland mayor arrested on 56 child pornography charges

Wojahn, who served as mayor since 2015 and sat on city council for eight years before that, resigned from his post the night before he was taken into custody.

According to ABC7, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified Prince George's County Police Department on February 17 of a social media account operating in the area that allegedly possessed and distributed child pornography since January 2023.

On February 28, after the account was traced to Wojahn, police executed a search warrant on his home in College Park. They recovered numerous cell phones, a tablet, a computer, and a hard drive.

Two days later, Wojahn, who keeps his pronouns in his Twitter bio, was arrested and subsequently charged with forty counts of possession of child exploitative material and sixteen counts of distribution of child exploitative material.

"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 city wrote in a statement. "The City of College Park thanks Mayor Wojahn for his many years of dedicated service."

The city went on to explain that a Special Election would be held within sixty-five days, and in the interim period, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell will serve as presiding officer.

"It has been a profound honor and privilege to serve the City of College Park since 2007 as a City Councilmember and your Mayor," Wojahn wrote in his letter of resignation, "however, effective immediately, I must resign my position."

He admitted that he had been arrested, but did not give any specific details.

"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," he added.

Wojahn thanked those who had reached out to him, and claimed that he was "stepping away to deal with my own mental health."