A former Brite Divinity professor accused of possessing graphic images of sex acts with small children is now facing up to 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorneys office.
Charles Bellinger, 62, was arrested after investigators found the images saved to office devices on the Texas Christian University campus, court documents say.
The Brite Divinity School operates on TCU's campus but is an independent institution from the university.
However, according to court records, it was TCU Information Technology Security Services that identified pornographic images of girls between the ages of 8 and 10 along with sexually explicit file names on a computer assigned to Bellinger. The file names included the words "toddler" and "infant,” according to court documents, which also describe the alleged graphic images in detail.
The findings from the Information Technology Security Services team sparked an investigation by TCU campus police and later also the Fort Worth Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
KERA reached out to TCU and will update this story with any response.
Vanessa Daley, director of communications for Brite Divinity School, previously told KERA that Bellinger's alleged behavior was "repugnant and the antithesis" of Brite's values and mission.
"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 in a statement.
Bellinger was booked into the Tarrant County Jail Oct. 3 but was booked out the next day, according to jail records. The federal complaint was filed Oct. 4.
Police obtained Bellinger's office computer hard drive and two thumb drives through a search warrant and found images of children under the age of 18 "engaged in sexual conduct", according to the criminal complaint signed by a U.S. Secret Service agent.
The image files were created from video files viewed on the device and saved by the user "cbellinger,” according to the complaint.
Law enforcement also obtained a Micro SD card located in a safe with images depicting real prepubescent minors "engaged in sexually explicit conduct".
In a statement, Bellinger’s attorney Cody Cofer declined to comment on specifics of the case.
"Unfortunately, with the nature of these allegations, law enforcement and much of the public assume guilt. However, it seemed the Fort Worth Police Officer that testified at the preliminary hearing [Thursday] had no first-hand knowledge of any direct evidence of guilt," Cofer said. "Mr. Bellinger’s legal team is already conducting a comprehensive investigation to clear the path for the truth to be presented in his defense."
Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
Copyright 2024 KERA