Merrimack College professor gets two years for child porn

A former Merrimack College professor who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography has received a two-year prison sentence.

Gary Spring, a former engineering professor at Merrimack College in North Andover, used a college-owned laptop to access child pornography, WCVB reported, adding that Spring pleaded guilty in September to acquiring more than 300 pictures of child pornography.

After Spring borrowed a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop from the college, the school’s IT department noticed virus threat warnings on the computer, which ultimately triggered the discovery of the child porn, the Salem News reported.

A review of the computer showed that Spring, in 16 days, viewed at least 300 images on it, but that number represents only a fraction of his undertaking because he admittedly threw away thumb drives and had a separate computer’s hard drive wiped, the Salem News added.

“How much child pornography the defendant actually possessed will never be known because the defendant destroyed that evidence,” federal prosecutor Eva Piemonte wrote in her sentencing memorandum, quoted by the Salem News.

Spring’s attorney said to WCVB that his client “is now fully aware of the gravity of his conduct and the terrible consequences for the victims of it.”

“Spring has lost his job at Merrimack College,” Spring’s attorney wrote in a sentencing memorandum quoted by the Salem News. “His reputation is ruined. His career of good works is tarnished. He was forced to sell and move from his home.”

Spring will remain free on a $30,000 bond until his federal prison term starts in July, according to WCVB.