Maryland
Judge denies bail for gay former College Park mayor
Court documents include graphic description of images in child porn allegations
A Prince George’s County District Court Judge on Monday, March 6, ordered gay former College Park, Md., Mayor Patrick Wojahn held in jail without bond following his arrest last week on 56 counts of possession and distribution of child pornography.
“His husband and mother were both in the courtroom and were crying and hugging after the decision was made,” Channel 9 reporter Evan Koslof reported in an online post.
The denial of bond means Wojahn, 47, must remain in custody until at least March 31, when he is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing related to the charges against him, a clerk of the court told the Washington Blade.
In a development that shocked College Park officials and LGBTQ activists who knew and worked with Wojahn on LGBTQ rights issues for many years, Wojahn resigned as mayor on March 2, hours before his arrest and two days after Prince George’s County Police Department investigators executed a search warrant at his College Park house.
In a statement released on the day of his arrest, police said they confiscated during the search multiple cell phones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer, which contained evidence that Wojahn allegedly had downloaded at least 56 videos or still images of child pornography. The statement said police charged him with 40 counts of possession of “child exploitative material” and 16 counts of distribution of “child exploitative material.”
The statement said the investigation into the allegations remains open and active. Later on the day of his March 2 arrest, Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said at a press conference that authorities anticipate filing additional charges, but he declined to say what those charges might be.
In his letter of resignation, which College Park officials publicly released, Wojahn said he fully cooperated with police at the time they searched his home and he planned to cooperate further.
“While this investigation does not involve any official city business of any kind, it is in the best interests of our community that I step aside and not serve as a distraction,” he stated in his resignation letter. “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health,” he wrote. “I ask that you continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.”
In one of two detailed charging documents filed in court, Prince George’s County Police Det. J. Spicer, the lead investigator in the case, states that at the time police executed their search of the Wojahn residence police read to him his Miranda Rights to remain silent, which Wojahn waived and provided police with a statement.
In his statement, according to Spicer, he confirmed what investigators found in their earlier search of online records that Wojahn allegedly downloaded files containing child porn videos and child porn mages on the app known as KiK under the disguised username of “skippy_md.”
“He also indicated that when viewing these files, he ‘may have passed it on,’ indicating he has distributed files depicting child pornography to other persons,” Det. Spicer states in the charging document.
In the same charging document, Spicer provides a one or two sentence description of what each of the 56 video or still image files that Wojahn allegedly downloaded, possessed, or distributed. Most of the detective’s descriptions say the video or image show a “prepubescent male” engaging in sex with another “prepubescent male” or with an adult male. Other descriptions say the prepubescent male was engaging in masturbation.
In a separate statement of charges prepared by Spicer filed in the District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County, which is in Upper Marlboro, Wojahn is charged with 16 individual felony counts of knowingly possessing with the intent to distribute an image or a video that “depicts a minor engaged as a subject of sexual conduct.”
Written next to each of the 16 charges, which bear a coded number for the specific video or image Wojahn allegedly distributed, is the potential penalty of 10 years in jail and/or a $25,000 fine.
The same document charges him with 40 individual misdemeanor counts of possession of videos or images “showing an individual under 16 years of age engaged in sexual conduct.” The document shows that each of those charges carries a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $2,500 fine.
If convicted on all 16 counts of possession with intent to distribute, Wojahn could theoretically be sentenced to 160 years in jail and/or a fine of $400,000. However, legal observers have said prosecutors in cases like this often extend a plea bargain offer with a reduced number of charges in exchange for a guilty plea.
Wojahn’s attorney, David H. Moyse, has said it was too soon for him to comment on the case other than to reiterate that Wojahn “has been cooperating fully with law enforcement throughout this process and will continue to do so.”
Maryland
FreeState Justice to lose more than $300K in federal funding
DOJ program funded full-time employees, services for 600 Marylanders this year
FreeState Justice on Monday said it will lose more than $300,000 in federal funding on July 1.
The organization in a press release said the funds from the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Program supported LGBTQ survivors of crime in Maryland. FreeState Justice notes this funding “makes up almost 25 percent of the legal aid organization’s overall budget, and 60 percent of its direct service budget.”
FreeState Justice began to receive funds from the program in 2018.
“FreeState Justice is the only organization providing trauma-informed, culturally relevant legal services to LGBTQ+ Marylanders,” said FreeState Justice Executive Director Phillip Westry. “This funding cut is devastating to our community and the clients we serve, and it undermines the promise of equal justice for all.”
Westry noted the funding supported “2.5 full-time employees on our team of seven.” FreeState Justice Legal Director Lauren Pruitt added upwards of 600 people have benefitted from programs this funding supported so far this fiscal year.
“With our help, our clients report escaping violence, gaining housing, accessing documents, and reclaiming their voice,” said Pruitt. “For years, these funds have helped us to support Marylanders who have survived crimes, including about 600 people so far this fiscal year. Our services empower survivors to define and achieve safety, stability, and justice in the ways that matter most to them.”
“We are calling on the community to step up for Maryland’s LGBTQ+ survivors so that we can continue these essential services,” added Westry. “More than ever, we’ll need their support to continue getting our life-saving resources to those who need them most.”
FreeState Justice notes the Trump-Vance administration has cut $50 million “in grants and funding that support organizations that serve victims of crimes.” Westry on Monday in an email to supporters asked for their support to help fill the funding gap.
Rockville hosted its 9th annual Pride celebration on Sunday.
Organizations and sponsors partnered with the city and its Human Rights Commission to bring the event to life in the Rockville Town Center Park at the Square.
“We want our community to know how safe and how protected they are and that we would support our community,” City Clerk Sara Taylor-Ferrell, who is director of council operations, said. “It’s a gathering for families and friendship; it’s just a good event for our community engagement.”
Taylor-Ferrell said the Rockville community feels safe and comfortable at the event, and she hopes the event will continue to grow bigger each year.
“I think this is going to be a great thing that we can say our legacy is with Pride,” she said.
The Rainbow Youth Alliance, the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, the Barker Adoption Foundation, Maryland Trans Unity, and other organizations gathered along the Square to spread awareness and celebrate the LGBTQ community.
Shane Henise, program director for the Rainbow Youth Alliance, an LGBTQ support group for teens from 13- to 18-years-old, said he wanted to come out and let people know that the organization is there for the younger LGBTQ community.
“I think this is a really hard time for queer and trans youth generally, and we want them to know they have a safe place to come,” he said.
Henise said Pride is more important this year than ever, especially with the “attacks” on gender-affirming care for youth.
“We want to counteract that immense amount of negativity and messages they’re receiving with positivity,” Henise said. “You are who you are. We love you, we support you.”
Speaking in front of a crowd of around 50 people, with hundreds walking around to stop and listen, Mayor Monique Ashton and other City Council members addressed the crowd and highlighted the importance of Pride.
Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass said Montgomery County always leads with its heart.
“We, the LGBTQ + community, are under threat and under attack by this president, by the Supreme Court, and while we have our challenges, there is no place I’d rather live than here in Montgomery County,” Glass said to the crowd. “We welcome our neighbors, we love them fairly and justly. We choose to love and we choose to be inclusive. That’s what pride is all about.”
With rainbow flags waving in the town square, attendees stopped by information tables, a clothing pop-up shop, face painting stations and a voter registration table.
Performers took to the stage in between speakers, such as local band the Nighthawks, members of the Rockville Musical Theater and a drag queen from drag story hour who read picture books to children in the crowd.
There was a sense of pride and family at the event, according to Cynethia Williams, the Montgomery County chair of Free Mom Hugs.
“There’s a sense of happiness and excitement about our future, even though it’s super scary right now in America,” Williams said. “It’s great to see that so many people are like, ‘They’re not going to take this stuff from us.’”
As a queer and Black woman, Williams said being at Rockville Pride was a revolution itself.
“I’m a revolter from birth, (from) being in this skin, so just being here is a revolt. It’s time for us to get together and fight,” she said. “Specifically for Free Mom Hugs, we want to make sure that our presence is known, that people know that we’re here and that … there’s a group of people that are ready to cheer them on, hug them, give them love.”
Maryland
Annapolis Pride postponed due to weather
Parade and festival will not happen as scheduled, other events to take place
The annual celebration of the Annapolis LGBTQ community has been put on hold due to forecasted severe weather.
The Annapolis Pride parade and festival, both of which were supposed to take place on May 31, have been postponed until a later date.
Annapolis Pride Board Chair Joe Toolan announced the decision this afternoon, citing information given to the Pride board from emergency management agencies and weather forecasting models.
“The safety of our community comes first,” Toolan said. “Based on guidance from the Annapolis Office of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the 2025 Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival due to the very real threat of severe thunderstorms, lightning, and flooding.
“We are hoping to reschedule for some time this fall,” he added.
The National Weather Service has issued tornado and flood watches for large portions of the Mid-Atlantic area, more specifically in areas of Virginia, D.C., and Maryland — including Anne Arundel County where Annapolis is located.
The tornado watch only lasts until midnight, but the impacts of heavy downpours in the area can already be seen where the parade and festival were set to take place. The festival grounds at Bates Middle School are already experiencing flooding and over-saturation, and a flood watch remains in effect with more rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
“We are all sad and terribly disappointed that we cannot proceed with the parade and festival on Saturday,” Toolan said. “Hundreds of hours have been spent on planning and coordination, and we were expecting tens of thousands of attendees. But at the end of the day, safety concerns outweigh all other concerns.”
Toolan said the Pride board will announce a rescheduled date as soon as it is confirmed.
Even though the Annapolis Pride parade and festival have been postponed, there are a slew of other planned Pride events that will go on as scheduled:
May 30 – Ladies Night – SOLD OUT
6–10 p.m., Eastport Democratic Club, Annapolis
June 1 – Drag Brunch at Leo – SOLD OUT
10 a.m., Leo Annapolis Restaurant, 212 West St.
June 1 – Ecumenical Pride Worship Service
3 p.m., Eastport United Methodist Church, Annapolis
June 3 – Annapolis Pride Beer Launch
4–7 p.m., Forward Brewing, Annapolis
June 5 – Pride on the Pier
6–9 p.m., Bread and Butter Kitchen, Annapolis
June 6 – Big Gay Dance Party
10 p.m.–close, Tsunami Restaurant, 51 West St., Annapolis
June 7 – Pop-Up Market: Benefiting Annapolis Pride
10 a.m.–3 p.m., Annapolis Town Center
Special discounts @Kendra Scott 6/7–6/8
June 14 – Silent Disco
7–11 p.m., Eastport Democratic Club, Annapolis
June 21 – Teen Dance Party
6–9 p.m., Art Farm, Annapolis
For high school freshmen – juniors
*ticketed event
For more information on the postponement of Annapolis Pride, visit https://annapolispride.org/
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