HAGERSTOWN -- A state delegate who is under investigation concerning possession of child pornography announced yesterday that he will resign from office, shocking Annapolis and the quiet neighborhood where he lives.
Washington County Sheriff Doug Mullendore said deputies searched the Hagerstown residence of Del. Robert A. McKee on Jan. 31 within 24 hours of receiving a tip that "child pornography was located in the home."
"As a result, we did seize several computers, several videotapes and other printed material," he said.
No charges have been filed against McKee, a Washington County Republican, and Mullendore said it was difficult to say how long the investigation would take because it will require forensic examinations of computers. The FBI is assisting local officials in the case.
Mullendore said authorities are not investigating any allegations of child abuse. He declined to comment further.
McKee, who is unmarried and has no children, said in a statement he was resigning his position as delegate and as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County.
"For me, this is deeply embarrassing. It reflects poorly on my service to the community," McKee said in the statement. He divulged that his home was searched and that his computer had been seized, "including images that are available on the Internet."
He said he has instructed his attorney - former Del. Timothy F. Maloney - to cooperate with law enforcement officials. McKee also said he intends to enter treatment, but did not say what kind of treatment he would seek.
"My primary focus is to get well and stay well. I know this can happen only with the support and prayers of my family and friends and the help of professionals," he said in the statement.
McKee, who was active in numerous youth athletic and civic groups in his district, was among the General Assembly's leading advocates on children's issues. This year, he co-sponsored a bill that would deny child sexual predators the ability to earn good-conduct credits on their prison sentences. In prior years, he was a co-sponsor of legislation aimed at toughening penalties for sex offenders, or barring them from working in schools.
McKee, 58, was born in Hagerstown and attended junior college there before graduating from Lynchburg College in Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1971. He went on to serve for six years as a corpsman in the Naval Reserve, a post that's equivalent to an Army medic.
