At least 13 mayors arrested for sex crimes against children since 2021

The former mayor of College Park, Maryland, was arrested on Thursday morning for child pornography, adding to a long list of mayors accused of preying on young children while exploiting the trust of their communities.

Patrick Wojahn, 47, is charged with 40 counts of possession of child exploitation material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitation material, according to Prince George’s County police.

Wojahn, who was elected mayor of College Park in November 2015 after serving on city council since 2007, submitted his letter of resignation Wednesday evening, city officials said.

“The City of College Park thanks Mayor Wojahn for his many years of dedicated service,” the city said in a news release. “Effective immediately, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell will assume the duties of President until a special election is held and a new mayor is sworn in.”

NINE US RELIGIOUS LEADERS ARRESTED LAST MONTH FOR CHILD SEX CRIMES

In his resignation letter, Wojahn neither confirmed nor denied wrongdoing.

“On February 28, 2023, a search warrant was executed at my home as part of an ongoing police investigation,” he wrote. “I have fully cooperated and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement. Although this investigation does not involve any official City business, it is in the best interests of our community that I step aside and serve no purpose. no distractions.”

“Many of you have already reached out with well wishes and positive thoughts, and I will be forever grateful to you,” he added. “I step away to attend to my own mental health. I ask that you continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.”

Plaintiffs Dave Kolesar (left) and Patrick Wojahn (right) speaking after the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and Equality Maryland press conference to challenge the Maryland Court of Appeals decision to uphold a state law banning marriage protection for same-sex couples in Baltimore in 2007. (Photo by Mark Gail/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Wojahn’s case is not unusual. At least 12 other then-mayors and former mayors have been charged with child sex crimes since 2021, ranging from child pornography to sexual assault.

Phil Briggs, the mayor of Spencerville, Ohio, resigned last month after he was arrested for allegedly secretly taping his girlfriend’s teenage daughters while they stripped naked.

Ted Tomaszewski, the former mayor of Mansfield Township, New Jersey, was charged in January with sexual assault, luring and endangering children. He is accused of having committed several sexual acts with a 15-year-old in 2022 after leaving office in 2014.

NEARLY 350 K-12 EDUCATORS ARRESTED FOR CHILD SEX CRIMES IN 2022

Matthew McIlravy, the mayor of Pilot Point, Texas, resigned in June 2022 just months after taking office after being accused of online solicitation of a minor under 14.

James Montgomery, the former mayor of Athens, Georgia, pleaded guilty in August 2022 to sending obscene material to a minor when he was mayor in 2020. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

Kevin Hohn, the former mayor of Brooksville, Florida, was charged in February 2021 with producing child pornography. He was sentenced a year later to 15 years in federal prison.

Donald McLeod, the former mayor of Severance, Colorado, was sentenced in December to three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to promoting obscenity to a minor. He was accused of meeting a 17-year-old boy for sex in April 2021.

Donald McLeod, the former mayor of Severance, Colorado, was sentenced in December to three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to promoting obscenity to a minor. He was accused of meeting a 17-year-old boy for sex in April 2021. (Missoula County Jail)

Carl Johnson, former mayor of West Bountiful, Utah, and former bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was charged in September 2022 with sexually abusing three girls under the age of 13. He pleaded not guilty to seven counts of aggravated child abuse.

Donald McKinney, the former acting mayor of Pickens, South Carolina, was charged in October 2022 with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. He was accused of groping and performing oral sex on a victim between the ages of 14 and 16 while still acting mayor.

Scott Saunders Jr., the former mayor of Smithville, Texas, was arrested twice in 2021 on a total of five counts, including child molestation and indecency with a child. The arrests came four months after Saunders resigned as mayor, saying he wanted to focus on his family and his mental health, KXAN reported.

Dennis Doyle, the former mayor of Beaverton, Oregon, was sentenced in January to six months in prison for downloading child pornography onto his home computer while still mayor.

Robert Jacob, the former mayor of Sebastapol, California, was arrested in April 2021 on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. In January, he argued unchallenged to include contact with the victim with intent to commit a specific offence, arranging a meeting with the victim to engage in lewd and lascivious acts, and the commission of acts of sexual abuse against a victim under the age of 15. will be sentenced on March 23.

The former mayor of Sevastopol, Robert Jacob

Walter Hill, the former mayor of Mosses, Alabama, was charged with first-degree rape in November 2021. He had previously served time in prison after pleading guilty in 2017 to a charge of using his office to personal purposes.

Previous analysis by Fox News Digital revealed that at least nine religious leaders were arrested in the United States in January for alleged child sex crimes, ranging from grooming to child pornography to rape.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Earlier Fox News Digital analysis found that at least 349 public school educators were arrested for child sex crimes in nearly every state across the country last year, with an average of nearly one arrest each day for crimes ranging from grooming to child pornography to student rape. .

At least 262 of the arrests, or 75%, were for alleged crimes against students, according to the report.