A former Frederick Police corporal faces up to five years in prison after admitting Thursday to possessing child sexual abuse material.
James Dodson Jr., 39, of Emmitsburg pleaded guilty in the Adams County Court of Common Pleas in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to two felonies — criminal solicitation to distribute child pornography and possession of child pornography — according to court records.
As part of a plea agreement, Dodson could be sentenced to 1 1/2 to five years in prison. But he’s also allowed to argue at his sentencing on Aug. 20 for less time.
In an email, Samantha Long, a spokesperson for the Frederick Police Department, said Dodson resigned effective Aug. 15, 2025.
His attorney, Dave Erhard, declined to comment.
In 2024, Dodson told a woman over Snapchat he wanted to see her son naked and possessed sexual desires about children. He also stated that he used a website to watch child sexual abuse material, the Pennsylvania State Police reported.
Police later stopped Dodson at a Walmart in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, while officers simultaneously searched his house.
Law enforcement seized multiple devices and found numerous images of child sexual abuse material, troopers reported, and Dodson confessed during an interrogation.
In a video message, then-Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando described the charges against Dodson as “deeply troubling” and added that they represented “the most severe betrayal of trust committed by a police officer.”
Dodson is being held in the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex while he awaits sentencing.
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