The now-former mayor of College Park, Maryland, was once arrested on kid pornography fees Thursday morning, including to an extended record of mayors accused of preying on babies whilst exploiting the accept as true with in their communities.
Patrick Wojahn, 47, is charged with 40 counts of ownership of kid exploitative subject material and 16 counts of distribution of kid exploitative subject material, consistent with Prince George’s County Police.
Wojahn, who was once elected mayor of College Park in November 2015 after serving as a town council member since 2007, submitted his letter of resignation Wednesday evening, town officers stated.
“The City of College Park thanks Mayor Wojahn for his many years of dedicated service,” town stated in a press free up. “Effective 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.”
Police picture of College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn (Prince George’s County Police Department)
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In his resignation letter, Wojahn didn’t ascertain nor deny wrongdoing.
“On February 28, 2023, a search warrant was executed on my residence as part of an ongoing police investigation,” he wrote. “I have cooperated fully, and will continue to cooperate, with law enforcement. While this investigation does not involve any official city business of any kind, it is in the best interests ofour community that I step aside and not serve as a distraction.”
“Many of you have already reached out with well wishes and thoughts, and I am eternally grateful,” he added. “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health. I ask that you continue to keep me and my family in your prayer.”
Plaintiffs Dave Kolesar (left) and Patrick Wojahn (R) talking after the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and Equality Maryland press convention to denounce the Maryland Court of Appeals resolution to uphold a state legislation that bars marriage coverage for same-sex {couples} in Baltimore in 2007. (Photo by way of Mark Gail/The The Washington Post by way of Getty Images)
Wojahn’s case isn’t an ordinary one. At least 12 further then-current and previous mayors were accused of kid intercourse crimes since 2021, starting from kid pornography to sexual attack.
Phil Briggs, the mayor of Spencerville, Ohio, resigned ultimate month after he was once arrested for allegedly secretly recording his female friend’s teenage daughters whilst they undressed.
Ted Tomaszewski, the previous mayor of Mansfield Township, New Jersey, was once charged in January with sexual attack, luring and kid endangerment. He is accused of attractive in more than one intercourse acts with a 15-year-old in 2022 after leaving administrative center in 2014.
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Matthew McIlravy, the mayor of Pilot Point, Texas, resigned in June 2022 simply months after taking administrative center after he was once charged with on-line solicitation of a minor underneath the age of 14.
James Montgomery, the previous mayor of Athens, Georgia, pleaded to blame in August 2022 to sending obscene subject material to a minor when he was once mayor in 2020. He faces as much as 10 years in jail.
Kevin Hohn, the previous mayor of Brooksville, Florida, was once charged in February 2021 with generating kid pornography. He was once sentenced 12 months later to fifteen years in federal jail.
Donald McLeod, the previous mayor of Severance, Colorado, was once sentenced in December to serve 3 years of supervised probation after pleading to blame to the promotion of obscenity to a minor. He was once accused of assembly up with a 17-year-old boy for intercourse in April 2021.
Donald McLeod, the previous mayor of Severance, Colorado, was once sentenced in December to serve 3 years of supervised probation after pleading to blame to the promotion of obscenity to a minor. He was once accused of assembly up with a 17-year-old boy for intercourse in April 2021. (Missoula County Jail)
Carl Johnson, the previous mayor of West Bountiful, Utah, and a former bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was once charged in September 2022 with sexually abusing 3 ladies underneath the age of 13. He pleaded now not to blame to seven counts of irritated abuse of a kid.
Donald McKinney, the previous mayor professional tem of Pickens, South Carolina, was once charged in October 2022 with second-degree felony sexual habits with a minor. He was once accused of groping and acting oral intercourse on a sufferer between 14 and 16 years outdated whilst he was once nonetheless mayor professional tem.
Scott Saunders Jr., the previous mayor of Smithville, Texas, was once arrested two times in 2021 on a complete of 5 fees, together with sexual attack of a kid and indecency with a kid. The arrests got here 4 months after Saunders resigned as mayor, announcing he sought after to concentrate on his circle of relatives and psychological well being, KXAN reported.
Dennis Doyle, the previous mayor of Beaverton, Oregon, was once sentenced in January to 6 months in jail for downloading kid pornography on his house pc whilst he was once nonetheless mayor.
Robert Jacob, the previous mayor of Sebastapol, California, was once arrested in April 2021 on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. In January, he pleaded no contest to incorporate contacting the sufferer with the intent to devote a selected offense, arranging to fulfill the sufferer to interact in lewd and lascivious acts and committing acts of sexual abuse towards a sufferer underneath age 15. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23.
Former Sebastopol Mayor Robert Jacob
Walter Hill, the previous mayor of Mosses, Alabama, was once charged with first-degree rape in November 2021. He had up to now served jail time after pleading to blame in 2017 to a rate of the usage of his administrative center for private achieve.
A prior research by way of Fox News Digital discovered that a minimum of 9 non secular leaders have been arrested within the U.S. in January for alleged intercourse crimes towards youngsters, starting from grooming to kid porn to rape.
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An previous Fox News Digital research discovered that a minimum of 349 public faculty educators have been arrested on kid sex-related crimes spanning just about each and every state within the nation ultimate yr, averaging to nearly an arrest each day on crimes starting from grooming to kid porn to raping scholars.
At least 262 of the arrests, or 75%, concerned alleged crimes towards scholars, the file discovered.
