A former Prince George’s County, Maryland, public school librarian arrested on vandalism and hate crime charges last year is now also charged with possessing child pornography.
Charles Sutherland, 31, of Takoma Park, was arrested last June after police said he was caught on video spray painting the word “groomer” on entrances to public libraries in New Carrollton and Greenbelt around the time of Capital Pride Week.
Sutherland was also a school librarian at Northview Elementary School in Bowie at the time.
Court documents said when police took him into custody, he consented to a search of his home and admitted that there were images of child pornography on his computer.
Police also found diapers and dolls around his apartment, including a child-sized doll in his bed.
Sutherland is alleged to have told police that he had no children, and no nieces or nephews.
While the computer was seized by police in June of 2022, the forensic processing of it wasn’t finished until January.
Montgomery County police arrested Sutherland on six misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography in early February. Last week, a judge ordered that he remain held without bond. Since then, his lawyer has appealed, with the hopes that he would continue to be released on home detention to his parents’ residence in College Park.
Sutherland is scheduled to go on trial in Montgomery County next month.
In late August, Sutherland is also scheduled to go on trial in Prince George’s County, where he faces eight different charges for the vandalism and hate crime charges in connection with the damage to the two county libraries.
He has been on administrative leave with Prince George’s County Public Schools since his arrest last June. The school system declined any further comment about Sutherland.
