Maryland
Man charged with ‘groomer’ vandalism arrested in child porn case
Move came eight months after police seized laptop during search of home
A Takoma Park, Md., man who was arrested last June on two counts of hate-related destruction of property for allegedly spray painting the word “groomer” on two public library buildings he told police were supportive of the LGBTQ community was arrested again on Feb. 3 for possession of child pornography.
According to charging documents filed in the District Court of Maryland in Rockville, Montgomery County police charged Charles M. Sutherland, 31, with six counts of misdemeanor possession of child pornography.
The charging documents state that the latest arrest is based on information obtained by police at the time Sutherland was charged last June in the spray-painting incident. At that time, the documents state, Sutherland waived his Miranda rights to remain silent, admitting to the vandalism allegations, and consented to a search of his residence.
The charging documents state that inside his apartment at 116 Lee Ave. in Takoma Park, police “observed numerous diapers, children’s dolls, and a child sized doll in the bed of Sutherland.” One of the charging documents adds, “According to Sutherland he has no children or nieces or nephews. Sutherland also stated that he had images consistent with child pornography on a laptop in his residence.”
That admission by Sutherland prompted Prince George’s County police to obtain a search warrant that enabled them to locate and seize the laptop, the charging document says. For reasons not explained, the charging document says it took until Jan. 11, 2023, about seven months, for a digital forensic examination of the laptop to be completed.
It says that on Jan. 31, P.G. County police arranged for a Montgomery County police detective to view video files and other images on the laptop that had been taken from Sutherland’s apartment. The charging document says most of the files consist of video images of a “prepubescent female’s vagina displayed as a focal point.” It says one of the files consists of an “image of prepubescent male with buttocks displayed.”
The online docket for the Maryland District Court for Montgomery County says a judge ordered Sutherland held without bond at the time he appeared in court for a bond hearing on March 1.
WTOP News has reported that Sutherland is a librarian who at the time of his first arrest for vandalism last June had been working at Northview Elementary School in Bowie, Md. The school system has said Southerland was placed on administrative leave at that time.
Court records show that a jury trial on the vandalism charges for Sutherland was scheduled for Aug. 8, 2023.
Neither Sutherland nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment.
Maryland
4th Circuit dismisses lawsuit against Montgomery County schools’ pronoun policy
Substitute teacher Kimberly Polk challenged regulation in 2024
A federal appeals court has ruled Montgomery County Public Schools did not violate a substitute teacher’s constitutional rights when it required her to use students’ preferred pronouns in the classroom.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision it released on Jan. 28 ruled against Kimberly Polk.
The policy states that “all students have the right to be referred to by their identified name and/or pronoun.”
“School staff members should address students by the name and pronoun corresponding to the gender identity that is consistently asserted at school,” it reads. “Students are not required to change their permanent student records as described in the next section (e.g., obtain a court-ordered name and/or new birth certificate) as a prerequisite to being addressed by the name and pronoun that corresponds to their identified name. To the extent possible, and consistent with these guidelines, school personnel will make efforts to maintain the confidentiality of the student’s transgender status.”
The Washington Post reported Polk, who became a substitute teacher in Montgomery County in 2021, in November 2022 requested a “religious accommodation, claiming that the policy went against her ‘sincerely held religious beliefs,’ which are ‘based on her understanding of her Christian religion and the Holy Bible.’”
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in January 2025 dismissed Polk’s lawsuit that she filed in federal court in Beltsville. Polk appealed the decision to the 4th Circuit.
By PAMELA WOOD | Dan Cox, a Republican who was resoundingly defeated by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore four years ago, has filed to run for governor again this year.
Cox’s candidacy was posted on the Maryland elections board website Friday; he did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Cox listed Rob Krop as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Expanded PrEP access among FreeState Justice’s 2026 legislative priorities
Maryland General Assembly opened on Jan. 14
FreeState Justice this week spoke with the Washington Blade about their priorities during this year’s legislative session in Annapolis that began on Jan. 14.
Ronnie L. Taylor, the group’s community director, on Wednesday said the organization continues to fight against discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. FreeState Justice is specifically championing a bill in the General Assembly that would expand access to PrEP in Maryland.
Taylor said FreeState Justice is working with state Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County) and state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Arundel and Howard Counties) on a bill that would expand the “scope of practice for pharmacists in Maryland to distribute PrEP.” The measure does not have a title or a number, but FreeState Justice expects it will have both in the coming weeks.
FreeState Justice has long been involved in the fight to end the criminalization of HIV in the state.
Governor Wes Moore last year signed House Bill 39, which decriminalized HIV in Maryland.
The bill — the Carlton R. Smith Jr. HIV Modernization Act — is named after Carlton Smith, a long-time LGBTQ activist known as the “mayor” of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood who died in 2024. FreeState Justice said Marylanders prosecuted under Maryland Health-General Code § 18-601.1 have already seen their convictions expunged.
Taylor said FreeState Justice will continue to “oppose anti anti-LGBTQ legislation” in the General Assembly. Their website later this week will publish a bill tracker.
The General Assembly’s legislative session is expected to end on April 13.
US Embassy in Mexico issues shelter in place order for Puerto Vallarta
José Zayas brings ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ to GALA Hispanic Theatre
2026: prices, pace, and winter weather
PHOTOS: Cupid’s Undie Run
Sweat DC expands to Shaw
Trump falsely links trans people to terrorism
LGBTQ activists mourn the Rev. Jesse Jackson
EXCLUSIVE: Markey says transgender rights fight is ‘next frontier’
Lawsuit to restore Stonewall Pride flag filed
