He was charged on Monday with two counts of sexual solicitation of a minor, one count of possession of child pornography.
Frederick, Md (KM). The alleged actions of Corporal James Dodson do not reflect on the men and women of the Frederick Police Department. That’s according to Chief Jason Lando who held a news conference on Thursday outside of the Frederick Police Department Headquarters at 100 West Patrick Street.
(The Department will soon be moving to a new headquarters building on East All Saints Street later this month)
Corporal Dodson was charged in Pennsylvania with two counts of sexual solicitation of a minor, and one count each of possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communications facility “Frederick Police Department is here to serve and protect everyday. I think they do an exceptional job. As the chief, this honestly breaks my heart. It does. It breaks my heart to know that our officers are out there doing the right thing have to go through this as well,” he said.
Chief Lando gave a reporters a time line for the events leading up to charges being filed against Corporal Dodson. It began in August, 2024, when a Frederick Police Officer reported potential criminal conduct by Dodson. The case was referred to the Pennsylvania State Police because the alleged incidents occurred in Pennsylvania.
After the investigation began, the Chief said he suspended Dodson’s police powers, and his badge, service weapon and vehicle were collected. He was suspended with pay.
But that changed on June 30th when the Pennsylvania State Police filed charges.. . “As effective from the time the charges were filed, his suspension went from paid to unpaid. So he’s not being paid by the Frederick Police Department right now,” says Lando.
When all this information was made public, Chief Lando says he was asked by some citizens why the Police Department didn’t release Dodson’s name and other information in August, 2024 when the investigation began. “The answer is simple: due process is a fundamental tenant of our criminal justice system,” he responded. “We are legally and ethically obligated to allow an investigation to take place, and that includes the name of the accused and the details of the investigation.”
When these were charges filed, Chief Lando says it took everyone in the Department by surprise. “This was not on anyone’s radar,” he said. “18 years with the agency; very involved in community outreach. He won several awards. This was a shock to all of us.”
These offenses occurred in Pennsylvania. Chief Lando was asked if any children in Frederick were victims. “At this time, we have no information that any children in Frederick have been affected. But we will put out information at the end of this press conference in case anyone does feel the need to reach out if there are other victims out there,” he said.
Anyone who has more information related to this case can contact Lt. Matt Carrado at [email protected].
By Kevin McManus