WOC Man Arrested on Child Porn Charges

OCEAN CITY- An Ocean City man remains behind bars this week after his arrest last Friday on several counts of possession of child pornography, ironically the same day a new state law prohibiting the pretrial release of registered sex offenders went into effect.

Lawrence King III, 41, or West Ocean City, was arrested last Friday and charged with 13 counts of possession of child pornography after members of the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit served a warrant on his Golf Course Rd. home after receiving information from authorities in Anne Arundel County. The investigation into King's activities began when the Anne Arundel County Police Department received information the suspect was in possession of child pornography. State Police Troopers assigned to the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children task force then assisted Anne Arundel authorities with an execution of a search warrant at King's West Ocean City home last Friday.

During the search, investigators discovered images and videos of children performing various sexual acts on King's computer. Evidence seized during the search is being examined by the State Police Computer Forensics Laboratory.

King is already on Maryland's Sex Offender Registry as a result of a conviction in 2002 in Baltimore City during which he was found guilty of child abuse on a minor under age 18. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail for the conviction, all of which was suspended in favor of probation and a mandated sex offender registration.

After his arrest in West Ocean City last Friday, King was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was initially ordered held without bond. Ironically, a new state law preventing court commissioners from releasing arrestees listed on the Sex Offender Registry went into effect the same day King was arrested last Friday. On Monday, King had a formal bail review hearing and was ordered held without bond.

If convicted, King faces as many as 65 years in jail. The investigation into King's activities is ongoing and anyone with additional information that may help police is encouraged to call Maryland State Police Headquarters at (410) 653-4200.•€¨The Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is comprised of police agencies from around the state. Its primary mission is to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The Task Force works cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to provide resources to combat these crimes. Additionally, the Task Force provides community awareness campaigns helping to prevent the spread of these crimes through education.