Former mayor indicted for second time on child porn charges

In a little-noticed development, a Prince George’s County, Md., grand jury on May 25 issued a second indictment charging the gay former mayor of College Park with a total of 140 counts of possession and intent to distribute child pornography.

The new indictment against Patrick Wojahn includes the initial 80 counts of alleged possession and intent to distribute child porn included in an earlier indictment issued by a Prince George’s County grand jury on March 28.

But the latest indictment, considered a superseding indictment, adds 60 new counts to the charges pending against Wojahn. It brings the number of counts for possession of child porn, which is listed as a misdemeanor, to 40 and the number of counts for intent to distribute child porn, which is considered a felony under Maryland law, to 100. That brings the total number of charges pending against Wojahn to 140.

Online records with the Prince George’s County Circuit

Court, where the case against Wojahn is pending, show that a jury trial for the case is scheduled to begin on Aug. 7. The court records show that Wojahn has and continues to be held in jail since the time of his arrest after a judge denied his request for bail.

The first indictment came just under four weeks after Prince George’s County police announced on March 2 that they had arrested Wojahn, 47, on 56 counts of possession and distribution of “child exploitive material.”

Police charging documents said Wojahn allegedly had uploaded and/or shared at least 56 videos or still images on the social media app Kik depicting explicit sexual acts between adult men and prepubescent boys, depicting prepubescent boys engaging in sex with each other, or engaging in masturbation.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

KAYLA REED

is an assistant professor and Discovery,

Systems, & Digital Strategy Librarian

at Grinnell College. Her research and teaching centers on diversity and LGBTQ+ issues, with a focus on asexuality.