Annapolis, MD – On Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, a jury found Christopher Willard Clendenin, age 38, of Davidsonville, guilty of seven counts of possession of child pornography. Following the jury’s guilty verdict, the Honorable Judge Sidney Butcher revoked the defendant’s bond and ordered him held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center pending his sentencing hearing on July 27, 2026.
State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess commented, “behind every offender possessing child sexual abuse material, there is a child victim that has been exploited and deeply harmed in the creation of these images. We will always stand with victims and ensure that those who prey on our young and vulnerable be held accountable in the court of law.”
On April 26, 2023, detectives with the Anne Arundel County Police Department received a Cybertip for investigation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provided information of suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that was uploaded to the website Reddit. NCMEC provided a suspect name and IP address that led to the defendant, Christopher Clendenin of Davidsonville.
Detectives submitted a search and seizure warrant for the suspect’s Reddit and Google Gmail account on May 8, 2023. The Honorable Judge Christine Celeste reviewed and approved the search warrant, which was subsequently served to Google and Reddit. Google responded to the search warrant and the data connected an account linked to the defendant. Detectives found both still and video images depicting child sexual abuse material within the defendant’s Gmail folders.
Members of the Child Abuse Unit (CAU) responded to an address with a residential search and seizure warrant on August 24, 2023. The defendant was on scene and answered the door. During that event, items of evidence were seized and a brief interview of Clendenin was conducted. During that interview, the defendant was asked if he recognized the Gmail account under investigation, and he replied “Yeah, that’s a couple emails back.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Anastasia T. Prigge and Sean Fox. The investigation was led by Detective Jonathan Bruce from the Anne Arundel County Police Department.