Daniel Joseph Morozewicz of the Maryland Army National Guard was arrested for child pornography while on duty at a coronavirus vaccination center at the Six Flags theme park near Washington on Friday.
Mr. Morozewicz, who is also a corporal for the police department in Rockville, Maryland, bonded out after and was released on his own recognizance, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) said Saturday.
A spokesperson for the Maryland National Guard said that Mr. Morozewicz was removed from active duty after his arrest Friday morning at Six Flags America in Bowie, around 20 miles east of Capitol Hill.
The Rockville City Police Department said it suspended Mr. Morozewicz from the agency in October and stripped him of his powers over an unrelated personnel matter that remains under investigation.
In the statement announcing his arrest, FCSO said a multi-agency probe had culminated in Mr. Morozewicz being charged with one count of child pornography.
“As part of the Internet Crimes Against Children unit and through a joint investigation with the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore field office, FCSO detectives were able to monitor and track actions by Morozewicz between Sept. 8 and Dec. 30, 2020 of downloads containing images and videos of nude pre-pubescent females engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
A federal court authorized a search warrant on Feb. 23 allowing for authorities to scour Mr. Morozewicz‘s home and vehicle, the sheriff’s office said in the statement. Ten days later, FCSO and HSI officials tracked Mr. Morozewicz to the amusement park, where members of the Maryland National Guard have been supporting operations at a mass-vaccination center opened there last month.
Mr. Morozewicz was detained without incident and, later that day, detectives searched his residence in Frederick and found evidence “clearly showing images identified as child pornography,” FCSO said.
“The Maryland National Guard takes these situations seriously and will cooperate with law enforcement agencies as needed,” said Maryland National Guard spokesperson Major Kurt M. Rauschenberg.
“We are fully cooperating with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office’s and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit’s investigation,” the Rockville City Police Department added.
The Rockville City Police Department said that Mr. Morozewicz joined the force in July 2013. It declined to say why he was suspended on account of the personnel matter remaining under investigation.
FSCO said the child pornography investigation is ongoing as well.
Mr. Morozewicz joined the Maryland National Guard in February 2015 and was assigned to 1st Battalion of the 175th Infantry Regiment, the spokesperson told The Washington Times.
Mr. Morozewicz could not immediately be reached for comment.
