Deacon charged in child pornography

NOTTINGHAM, Md. (WMAR) - We offered William Albaugh a chance to defend his name, but we were kept back by his son-in-law. 

"He don't want to speak to you or no one around his neighborhood, so go," said the man, who did not identify himself.   

Albaugh lives on Treadway Ct. in Nottingham.  He worked as a deacon at St. Joseph Catholic Church since 1996.

On Friday morning, Baltimore County police searched his home and found hard drives with numerous images of child pornography.  Police say Verizon alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that pictures of young girls performing sex acts were found through a public online storage account.

"I'm scared to let them go outside and play now," said Shannon Carter, a neighbor.    

Carter has five young children.  As we went up the street to talk to her, the son-in-law followed us. 

"I was even thinking of walking up and down the street from the bus stop now.  We usually go because she's so young still but now I want to make sure that we're always there just to walk them up and down the street," said Carter.   

The man jumped in his car and went up and down the street, even as a neighbor had kind things to say about Albaugh.

"We've lived here the past nine years and never had a problem with him.  He's always been a very nice, very personable, outgoing guy,” said the man who wants to remain unidentified. 

The 66-year-old Albaugh told detectives that he looked at child porn since the 1970's, but he would never harm a child.  The Archdiocese said he fulfilled all of the child and youth protection requirements to serve as deacon. 

"This investigation so far has indicated that none of the children at St. Joseph Catholic Chuch in Nottingham were victims," said Cpl. John Wachter, Baltimore Co. police spokesman. 

Albaugh was suspended from his job as deacon.  He was charged with possession of child pornography and was out on a $75,000 bond.