A former St. Mary’s High School teacher is charged with 16 counts of possession of child pornography after police searched his home and seized multiple items.

Michael Hislop, 26, was arrested Tuesday. Anne Arundel County Police served the warrant that day on an address that was identified as being involved with uploading child pornography.

The Anne Arundel County Child Abuse Unit started an investigation in January after a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. A police report indicated that an account had uploaded child sexual abuse images to an internet site.

In February, investigators carried out the search warrant at a home in the 700 block of Match Point Drive in Arnold. Hislop was at the scene, according to an Anne Arundel County Police news release.

Detectives were able to verify that the digital storage account used to upload the child sex abuse materials belonged to Hislop and obtained a warrant for his arrest, which was executed Tuesday, police said.

Hislop’s employment at the school ended in February, according to Christian Kendzierski, the executive director of communications at Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“When St. Mary’s learned of the investigation Mr. Hislop was immediately placed on administrative leave and St. Mary’s cooperated fully with the Anne Arundel County Police Department in its investigation. While on leave, Mr. Hislop’s employment at St. Mary’s ended in early February of 2024,” Kendzierski said in a statement.

Hislop was hired in January 2022 and underwent an employment screening that included a background check and fingerprinting, Kendzierski said.

“The Archdiocese of Baltimore is committed to protecting children. It urges anyone who has any knowledge of this occurrence or any other in relation to the abuse of minors to come forward and to report it immediately to law enforcement.”

There’s no indication students from St. Mary’s were harmed, according to Kendzierski.

Hislop was released on his own recognizance Wednesday.