OC Jamboree owner federally indicted

David Edward Weatherholtz, who local police say has been sexually abusing young boys in connection with his West Ocean City community theater, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of producing and possessing child pornography, and attempting to entice minors to engage in sex. The indictment was returned March 24 and unsealed Monday upon his arrest.

According to the six-count indictment, Weatherholtz from 2008 to 2012 coerced a minor to engage in sex, in order to produce images of child pornography. He is accused of having possessed a computer hard drive and a laptop containing child pornography. The indictment also alleges the 55-year-old Weatherholtz used email and text messages to attempt to coerce minors to engage in sex.

For the charge of attempted enticement alone, Weatherholtz faces a possible life sentence. For each of the three counts of producing child porn, he faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison, and a maximum of 30 years. For the child porn possession charges, he faces 10 years in prison.

An initial appearance was held Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Weatherholtz was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for April 3.

According to a release by the office of U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched nationwide in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Locally, Weatherholtz was caught by a Worcester County sheriff's deputy who lured him into capture by pretending to be a teenage boy online. Detective Alex Kagan responded to Weatherholtz's personal ad on Craigslist.com seeking a young male companion.

Police caught Weatherholtz last December when he showed up for a pre-arranged meeting at the McDonald's in Snow Hill. Authorities said Weatherholtz during the investigation made references to having had sexual relationships with many boys. So far, at least two real-life victims, now adults, have come forward.

Weatherholtz owns The OC Jamboree, a 256-seat theater in West Ocean City. Police allege Weatherholtz used the venue to seek out young male performers who seemed vulnerable and, under the guise of providing music lessons at his home, would groom the child for abuse and molestation.

bshane@dmg.gannett.com

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