Getty Images
A former elementary school librarian who spray painted the word “groomer” on two public libraries last year has been charged with possession of child pornography. Charles Sutherland was formerly a librarian at Northview Elementary in Bowie, Maryland. In June 2022, police arrested Sutherland for vandalizing two libraries in Maryland—one in New Carrollton, and another in Greenbelt—by painting the word “groomer” across the entrances, and was charged with multiple counts of hate crimes at the time. According to local news outlet WTOP, when police took him into custody, Sutherland “admitted that there were images of child pornography on his computer,” and police also found “diapers and dolls around his apartment, including a child-sized doll in his bed.” Sutherland’s computer was seized when he was arrested in June, but forensic processing wasn’t finished until January, WTOP reported. He was arrested and charged with six misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography in February, according to court documents. “The library will not waiver in its commitment to maintaining welcoming spaces to LGBTQ+ customers and their allies,” Prince George’s County libraries spokesperson Nicholas Alexander Brown told WTOP in June, adding that the LGBTQ+ community is “a particular target here in the DMV area.” Libraries around the country face increasing threats from right-wing activists and extremists who call staff “groomers”—accusing them of pedophilia—because they offer books that feature LGBTQ+ narratives or characters, or host queer-friendly events like drag queen storytimes. Dozens of libraries have been threatened with bomb or active shooter threats. In Florida, some school bookshelves stand empty, as teachers hide books to avoid felony charges after they were ordered to “remove or cover all classroom libraries until all materials can be reviewed” for “prurient” or “offensive” material. Right-wing activists and Republican lawmakers are attempting to group any books that include LGBTQ+ themes into these criminal definitions. Sutherland is set to stand trial in April for the child pornography charges, and in August for the charges of hate crimes. Sutherland’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Advertisement