A Howard County, Maryland, man employed by the University of Maryland’s information technology department was arrested Thursday on multiple child pornography charges, according to the state police.
Police said William Gomes, 41, of Elkridge, was charged with 10 counts of possession and three counts of distribution of child pornography, as well as one count of creating a computer image of an apparent child engaged in sexual conduct, according to Maryland State Police.
Gomes was arrested following a Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigation that began in February.
On Thursday, officials served a search and seizure warrant at Gomes’ residence and conducted a preliminary forensic review of his electronic devices seized at the scene that police said revealed multiple child pornography files.
He was then transported to the Howard County Department of Corrections for processing.
The University of Maryland’s website lists Gomes as the Acting Director of the Enterprise Software Engineering unit in the school’s IT department.
The school confirmed in an email to WTOP that Gomes, who they have employed since 2004, has been “placed on administrative leave pending further investigation and has no access to University technology, networks, or accounts.”
