A former theology professor and librarian at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. This was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham.
Charles Kilby Bellinger, aged 63, was apprehended in October 2024 by the Fort Worth Police Department. The arrest followed a report from TCU's IT staff who discovered pornographic images with alarming file names such as "infant" and "toddler" on Bellinger's work computer. A federal complaint charged him after investigators found several sexually explicit images of pre-pubescent minors on a hard drive and an SD card from his office.
In January 2025, Bellinger pled guilty to the federal charges. U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman sentenced him to 121 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $6,000 in restitution to certain victims. Bellinger was taken into custody immediately following the hearing.
Acting U.S. Attorney Meacham commended the efforts of law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation: the U.S. Secret Service, Fort Worth Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, and Texas Christian University Campus Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It involves coordination between federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals exploiting children while also identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood or internet safety education resources, visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.