The mayor of College Park, Maryland resigned before he was arrested Thursday on child pornography distribution and possession charges, authorities announced.
The Prince George's County Police Department said it arrested 47-year-old Patrick Wojahn Thursday morning after it executed a search warrant and seized multiple cell phones, a storage device and a tablet at his College Park home on Tuesday.
Wojahn was elected mayor of College Park, a small college town home to the University of Maryland, in 2015, according to the city website.
Police said they were tipped off on Feb.17 by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to a social media account operated from within the county that in January posted child pornography.
Investigators discovered that the account belonged to Wojahn, police said.
He is charged with 40 counts of “possession of child exploitative material” and 16 counts of "distribution of child exploitative material”, police said.
Wojahn, who served eight years on College Park’s city council prior to his time as mayor, submitted his resignation letter to the city on Wednesday night, citing a “police investigation.”
“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,” Wojahn wrote. “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health.”
Wojahn was arrested the following morning.
“We are shocked and disturbed by the news; what has come to light in this investigation is a total surprise to us,” the city said in a statement. “The City will respect the process of this investigation and will cooperate fully with requests for information.”
Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell has taken over the mayor’s duties as the city prepares to hold a special election within 65 days to replace Wojahn, as mandated by College Park’s charter, the city said in a statement.
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