Ex-Fort Worth divinity professor sentenced to 10 years after child porn found on work computer
A former Brite Divinity School theology professor has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after sexually explicit images of young children were found on his work computer, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced Thursday.
Authorities said the federal investigation began after Texas Christian University's IT staff discovered pornographic images with file names such as "infant" and "toddler" on 63-year-old Charles Kilby Bellinger's computer.
Brite Divinity School is located on the TCU campus but is not a unit of the university.
Bellinger pleaded guilty in January to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 121 months in prison — equivalent to 10 years and one month — according to Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham. He was also ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to victims and was taken into custody immediately after sentencing.
Bellinger, who served as a theological librarian and professor of theology and ethics, was terminated from his position shortly after his arrest on Oct. 4.
"The behavior outlined in the criminal complaint against Charles Bellinger, a former faculty member, is repugnant and the antithesis of our values and mission," Brite Divinity School spokesperson Vanessa A. Daley said following his arrest.
"When Brite administration was made aware of these allegations, we immediately initiated our own investigation, cooperated with law enforcement, shut down his access to school technology, personnel, and facilities, and placed him on immediate administrative leave before terminating his employment shortly thereafter," Daley said.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, the Fort Worth Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, and TCU campus police.
