Patrick Wojahn, the former Mayor of College Park, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to 140 counts of child exploitative material possession and distribution. The plea deal stands that he will be sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Aisha Braveboy, the state attorney of Prince George’s County, released a statement, which said, “This is a horrific case. I am truly pleased that Mr. Wojahn has [pleaded] guilty and accepted responsibility for his actions and these horrendous crimes.”
Authorities had been tipped off back in February about the suspected child exploitative material when they discovered a social media account operating in the county containing the explicit materials. Following an investigation, detectives discovered the account belonged to Wojahn. After the findings, a search warrant was executed on his residence where multiple phones, a storage device, a tablet, and a computer were seized.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children linked the account to Wojahn’s alias “skippy_md” and led to a total of 40 counts of possession of child exploitative material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitative material against him.
Braveboy went on to say, “Our children are both precious and vulnerable deserving of the utmost protection. The tragedy of them being preyed upon in cases like this cannot be understated.” She added, “I want families in Prince George’s County to rest assured, that we will continue to exhaust every possible effort to ensure their safety and well-being.”
Wojahn, who is openly gay, was an eight-year council member and then the mayor of College Park for two years. He resigned from his post in March following his arrest. Wojahn was quoted in his resignation letter, saying, “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health.”
The Prince George’s Police Department issued a statement, saying, “We are deeply disturbed by the conduct and criminal behavior of this former public official and are pleased that this investigation has led to an appropriate resolution.”
Official sentencing is set for November 20. Those connected to the former mayor are still and will continue to be in shock that the person who had their trust violated their beliefs in the most horrible way.