Youth Soccer Referee Charged With Child Porn Distribution

MILLERSVILLE, MD — A youth soccer referee from Millersville has been charged with multiple counts of child porn possession and distribution, Anne Arundel County Police said on March 20. The investigation into Cedric Caleb Wardell, 21, began after the department received a report on Sept. 26, 2018, that a local email address was uploading child pornographic images to an online site.

Detectives executed a search and seizure warrant on Jan. 30, 2019, at an address in 600 block of Wheat Mill Court in Millersville. Wardell was on the scene and interviewed by police. Numerous electronic items were seized and later examined by the Anne Arundel County Digital Forensics Unit.

Wardell told investigators he was certified by the United States Soccer Foundation, an accreditation program for youth and adult soccer referees. Detectives alerted local, regional and state administrators who supervise the soccer referee program in Maryland about the criminal investigation involving Wardell. His privilege to referee in Maryland was suspended pending the investigation.

Analysis of Wardell's electronic devices reportedly showed he possessed multiple child pornographic images. Child abuse detectives obtained an arrest warrant where Wardell was charged with ten counts of distribution and ten counts of possession of child pornography. He was taken into custody without incident.

Anyone with information on this incident or Wardell is asked to contact the Anne Arundel County Child Abuse Unit at 410-222-4733. You can also remain anonymous by calling the Anne Arundel County Tip Line 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP.

The information that began the investigation was provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploded Children, a non-profit organization whose mission is to find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent child victimization.