The former mayor of College Park, Maryland, was denied bond at a court hearing Monday.
Patrick Wojahn, 47, resigned from his post as mayor on Wednesday, the night before he was arrested. He was charged with 40 counts of possessing child exploitative material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitative material, according to police.
During the hearing, his attorney asked that he be released before the trial. They argued that Wojahn is accused of possessing and viewing child pornography and none of the images in his possession show him engaging in sexual activity with children.
His attorney also said that Wojahn could be prevented from accessing computers and the internet.
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The prosecution asked that the bond be denied because the images he downloaded were disturbing.
Maryland State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy said these types of images create demand for explicit content and could lead to more victims.
“I read through the 56 counts that Mr. Wojahn is being charged with and if you look at the charging documents, it goes into great detail about what these images were, and these images were disgusting," Braveboy said. "I’ve not viewed the videos or the images personally, but just reading through those 56 counts, and if you get a chance to do that, you'll understand why my prosecutor was so insistent that he remain held without bond.”
The judge denied Wojahn's bond following the prosecutor's argument that given these images, Wojahn would be a danger to children's safety.
College Park plans to hold a special election May 6 to choose a new mayor.
