Police Arrest Lutherville Man on Child Pornography, Marijuana Charges

When Norman Avenue homeowners saw police cars lining their street Tuesday morning, many assumed one of their neighbors had been robbed—not that one of their fellow residents was being arrested for child pornography and marijuana.

Police arrested Richard Wayne Poehlman of the 1500 block of Norman Avenue in the historic Lutherville neighborhood Tuesday morning and charged him with sharing child pornography over the Internet, according to a police report.

Police obtained a warrant to search Poehlman’s house and found further evidence of child pornography on his computer and other storage devices. They also discovered an extensive marijuana growing operation, according to an e-mail police spokesman Lt. Robert McCullough sent to Patch.

Poehlman was arrested and charged June 7 with child pornography and possession of marijuana with the intent to manufacture. He was released the following day from the Baltimore County Detention Center on $50,000 bail.

“It is scary,” said a neighbor who asked not to be identified for safety reasons. “I like to think we’re a fairly close-knit neighborhood—except for that house.”

The resident noticed several police vehicles parked along Norman Avenue at around 10 a.m. Tuesday, in addition to a mobile crime lab parked in Poehlman’s driveway.

The resident described the neighborhood as quiet, safe and secluded.

“It’s a nice house in a nice neighborhood,” the resident said. “We’ll be keeping a much closer eye on our kids.”

Poehlman acquired the home in 1995, according to online records from the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

According to the police report, detectives found “two bedrooms had been converted into fully operational grow rooms with high-intensity lights and power supplies.”

Police seized 77 live marijuana plants from the house. Police have not provided specifics as to the estimated street value of the seizure.

Further evidence linking Poehlman to child pornography included videos and photographs of prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts with adults and other children, according to the report.

A trial date has been scheduled for July 1 at 8:30 a.m.