Man Used Neighbor’s Internet Network To Access Child Porn

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be neighborly.

The Lutherville man arrested earlier this month on child pornography charges used his unwitting neighbor’s secured wireless Internet network to access illegal sexual images of children, according to charging documents.

The neighbor had given the man—Richard Wayne Poehlman, 61—the password to his network months earlier when Poehlman told him he couldn’t afford his own Internet connection.

Police arrested Poehlman, of the 1500 block of Norman Avenue, on June 7 after discovering pornographic images of children in his house. They also charged him with drug offenses related to the extensive marijuana growing operation found in his house on a quiet suburban street of historic homes.

But before police officers arrested Poehlman, they targeted and raided the neighbor’s house after tracing pornographic images of children to his IP address.

“Initially it was a little scary when [police] came storming into the house, but let me tell you when they left I went right back to bed and had another nice stretch of sleep,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be identified because of the stigma associated with the charges against Poehlman. “I did not lose sleep over it.”

Police found no evidence of child pornography in the neighbor’s home.

“I was not afraid and I was not concerned because I hadn’t done anything wrong for the police to be in my house,” the neighbor told Patch in an interview. 

He then told police that he had given Poehlman the password to his wireless network “because Mr. Poehlman cannot afford his own [I]nternet service,” according to charging documents filed in Baltimore County District Court.

The documents state that “in return” Poehlman would landscape the neighbor’s yard.

“I said to myself, ‘If my neighbor is in need and he has time to do [landscaping], why not ask him to do it instead of asking a stranger to do it,” the neighbor told Patch in an interview.

According to court records, Poehlman supported his neighbor’s assertion. Poehlman was then approached by police after they raided the neighbor’s house. Poelhman confessed to police that they had the wrong house. He also gave them a piece of paper with the Internet network’s password written on it, according to police reports.

He then sat down on a chair in his yard and invited the detectives to talk.

“While talking to the Detectives, Mr. Poehlman stopped, got up, and brought a chair from across the yard for [the detectives]. Mr Poehlman then proceeded to talk about how he is ‘obsessed’ with pornography depicting girls from infants through youths,” according to the charging documents.

Police quickly obtained a search and seizure warrant for Poehlman’s home.

They found child pornography on his computer and on other storage devices, according to police report. They also discovered a large-scale marijuana growing operation, which contained 73 lives plants spanning two bedrooms and four other plants in the hallway. Police seized marijuana-growing equipment—including lights, a power supply, timers and bulbs—the 77 plants, a computer, an external hard drive and thumb drive.

Poehlman stands accused of possession and distribution of child pornography, as well as manufacturing, possession and intent to distribute marijuana. Altogether the charges carry a maximum penalty of 26 years in prison and $58,500 fines. 

He was released on $50,000 bail June 8. Poehlman has a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 1 at 8:30 a.m. in Towson to determine if there is enough evidence to pursue felony charges.

Poehlman has lived in the house since 1995 .

Their surprise echoed that of members of nearby Cockeysville’s Padonia Park Club,. Police had been tracking the IP address of the club’s owner, Ira Charles F. Rigger Jr., and also discovered pornographic images on an IP address registered to the Padonia Park Club.

Coincidentally, Poehlman once worked at the club a decade ago. He said in a statement during his bail review hearing on June 8 that he had worked at the Padonia Park Club.

A manager at Padonia Park confirmed to Patch Wednesday afternoon that Poehlman worked at the club for one summer in 1999.

“We haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since,” said Kathy Angstadt, the club’s general manager. “He didn’t leave an impression. We just want to get back to doing the work that we do well.”

It is unclear if Rigger and Poehlman ever knew each other.

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said he could not comment due to the ongoing investigations in both cases.

Charging documents state that Poehlman worked in “entertainment and landscaping” and as a bartender.

Poehlman’s neighbor—despite the raid on his home—said the serious charges do not accurately depict Poehlman’s character.

“He has to pay for what was discovered. That is the law in Maryland,” he said. “But, for me, it’s hard to consider that he would be put together with people who hurt other people by being violent or using guns.”

The neighbor said he and Poehlman spoke several times a month, “sometimes drinking a beer in the evening.”

“I’ve never seen children, or anything suspicious around him,” the neighbor said. “It’s hard to believe that he would distribute these things. He is a very intelligent and sensible man.”