Anne Arundel Cop Charged With Soliciting A Minor: Police

GLEN BURNIE, MD — An Anne Arundel County police officer has been charged with sexually soliciting a minor and 10 counts of possessing child pornography. Zachary Steven Koshlap, 33, of Glen Burnie has been suspended without pay after working with the police department for six years in the bureau of patrol.

Fox Baltimore reports that an undercover FBI officer working internally behind a pornographic website received a message from a user who solicited sex with a child on Feb. 26. The user was identified as Koshlap.

Detectives searched his home March 23 and found "numerous digital devices along with other corroborating evidence," according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department. Koshlap admitted to being involved in the conversation regarding an 8-year-old child.

“True police, those with protective hearts, care about two groups of people more than any other. Those groups are our children and our elderly. Both groups, by virtue of their innocence or the effects of aging are the most vulnerable to predators. If someone wearing a badge betrays our oath of protection, we will do everything within our power to bring them to justice and make sure they never wear our uniform again. I am heart sick, physically ill, disgusted and enraged at the actions alleged in this case," said Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy J. Altomare in a statement. "I am also very proud of both our federal partners and our investigators who relentlessly investigated this case from the moment they learned about it. We WILL do the right thing to hold predators in a uniform accountable every time. No one needs to force us to do so.”

The Anne Arundel County Police asks that any other victims or anyone with information regarding the incident contact the Anne Arundel County Child Abuse Unit at 410-222-4733 or remain anonymous by calling the Anne Arundel County Tip Line 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers.