Patrick Wojahn, the Democratic former mayor of College Park, Maryland with notable ties to the Biden White House and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, has been indicted by a grand jury on additional child pornography charges following his arrest early this month, as Reuters reports.

According to the outlet, Wojahn now faces 80 total counts in Prince George's County of possession of child pornography and intent to distribute the same.

Investigation leads to arrest

As NBC4 in Washington reported in early March, a news release from the Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) indicated that a probe of Wojahn, 47, commenced when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted authorities in February regarding a suspicious social media account running from somewhere in the local area.

The law enforcement agency said at the time, “The image and videos had been uploaded to the social media account in January of 2023” and were believed by the children's advocacy group to be materials depicting the sexual abuse of minors.

“Through various investigative techniques, PGPD investigators discovered the social media account belonged to Wojahn,” the agency's statement said.

That discovery prompted officers to execute a search warrant on the then-mayor's home, which yielded a number of cell phones, a data storage device, a tablet, and a computer.

Initial charges filed

Based on their findings in that probe, Wojahn was arrested and initially charged with 40 counts of possessing “child exploitative material” and another 16 counts of distribution, a tally that has increased as a result of the grand jury's recent indictment.

Just prior to that arrest – and after normal business hours – Wojahn submitted a letter of resignation to city officials in College Park, as NBC4 noted at the time.

Wojahn's letter explained, “On February 28, 2023, a search warrant was executed on my residence as part of an ongoing police investigation. I have cooperated fully, and will continue to cooperate, with law enforcement. 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.”

On March 6, a Prince George's County District Court judge denied Wojahn's bond request and ordered him held in jail pending further proceedings, with this week's indictment complicating his attempt to secure pre-trial release.

Administration ally

As the New York Post noted earlier this month, Wojahn maintained strong ties with the Biden administration, even recently traveling to the White House for a bill signing ceremony.

Just a few months back, Wojahn and his husband, Dave Kolesar, were present as President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, as WTOP reported.

“It certainly is a momentous occasion,” said Wojahn at the time, with Kolesar declaring, “I think there's a little bit of a 'pinch me, I'm dreaming' aspect to it.”

As the Post noted separately, Wojahn enjoyed what the outlet described as a “longtime mentor-mentee relationship with former South Bend Indiana mayor and current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, at one point tweeting a photo of the two together with the caption, “Just two mayors, grabbing a beer together.”

What comes next

In the wake of Wojahn's abrupt resignation as mayor of College Park, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell has been fulfilling the duties of that office pending a special election required to be held within 65 days of the creation of the vacancy.

As NBC4 in Washington has reported, that election is slated for May 6, with early voting getting underway on May 2.

Meanwhile, Wojahn's case will continue to make its way through the court system, with its path growing more complicated due to the addition of new charges this week.

State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy declared regarding the latest developments, “The charges contained in the indictment are serious, and we will continue to work with law enforcement to investigate and follow any new leads that may be uncovered,” perhaps suggesting that there may be more troubling revelations yet to come.