We present the first in situ W-band (94-GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study of a trapped electron center in thin MgO(001) films. The improved resolution of the high-field EPR experiments proves that the signal originate from a well-defined species present in the bulk of the films, whose projection of the principal g-tensor components onto the (001) plane are oriented along the [110] direction of the MgO lattice. Based on a comparison between the structural properties of the films, knowledge of the ability of bulk defects to trap electrons, and the properties of the EPR signal, it is possible to propose that the paramagnetic species are located at the origin of a screw dislocation in the bulk of the film.