SVSU English professor Jason Kahler is charged with possessing child pornography on a personal laptop computer earlier this year.
SVSU suspended Kahler without pay after the FBI informed school officials of the investigation, said university spokesman J.J. Boehm.
“The FBI informed us in August of the pending criminal charges against (Kahler),” Boehm said. “He has been suspended without pay since that time and barred from campus, pending the outcome of criminal proceedings.”
The indictment charging Kahler alleges that on or about March 18, 2016, “Kahler knowingly possessed one Toshiba Satellite laptop … which contained images of child pornography … that involved a prepubescent minor (a minor under 12 years old).”
The charges Kahler faces carries a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison.
Kahler has taught at SVSU since 2010, and the university has received no complaints regarding his professional conduct, Boehm said.
Boehm also added that the criminal investigation found no evidence that Kahler used an SVSU computer or SVSU’s network for any illegal activity. The computer in question was a private computer belonging to Kahler.
Kahler’s attorney Kimberly Stout told ABC 12 News that Kahler “is not a predator of children.”
“The federal government is crossing the lines of infiltrating websites and accessing computers without specific warrants,” Stout told ABC 12.
According to the release conditions, Kahler posted a $20,000 bond that has numerous conditions attached to it, including that he submit to GPS monitoring, not have any contact with minor children other than his own, participate in sex offender treatment and not use a computer at home.
According to court documents, the parties involved requested additional time to engage in continued plea negotiations and to have Kahler’s trial date postponed. Kahler’s trial now is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2017.
