Feds Charge Westminster Man with Possessing Child Pornography

A Westminster man who served a year in prison in 2005 for possessing child pornography has been charged once again, according to online federal court documents.

A federal grand jury indicted Scott Wade Markle, 51, of Westminster on one count of possession of child pornography on Feb. 22.

According to the indictment, Markle possessed and accessed child pornography from "in or about Sept. 2008 and continuing until on or about Feb. 11, 2013."

Markle, who has been active with the Carroll County Democratic Central Committee, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexual conduct in 2005 according to an article in the Carroll County Times.

He served one year and one day in prison and was listed in the sex offender registry as a result of the 2005 conviction according to the Times article.

According to the Department of Justice, if convicted of this current charge, Markle faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by supervised release of up to life.

Markle's arraignment is scheduled for March 1 in Baltimore.