A Baltimore prosecutor assigned to the juvenile division was arrested early Tuesday in Baltimore County and charged with possession and distribution of child pornography, county police said.
Patrick Moran, 39, an assistant city state's attorney since 2003, was taken into custody after police raided his Nottingham home and found "numerous images and videos of child pornography." Police said they also found various pieces of computer equipment and digital storage devices that are being tested.
Moran was released after posting $150,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment.
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby said in a statement that Moran was a "now former employee." A spokeswoman for the office would not comment on the circumstances of Moran's departure from the office, citing personnel policy.
In the statement, Mosby called the allegations "despicable and disheartening" and said her office would cooperate with county authorities as they continue to investigate.
The investigation began in July when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children passed along a tip about Internet activity related to child pornography, police said. The investigation led police to an address in the 8900 block of Kilkenney Circle, where they believed child pornography was being shared on the Internet.
Police raided the home at 5 a.m. Tuesday and "identified Moran as the person responsible for the child pornography," police said.
Police said they had no evidence to indicate Moran had been involved in production of such images.
The Maryland Judicial Council lists Moran as a "supervising attorney" in the State's Attorney's Office's juvenile division. His annual salary was $93,400 in 2015, according to a database of salaries of city employees.