Paul Wedding | Staff Writer

James Quinn, a former UNT professor, was indicted on nine counts of possession of child pornography on July 24.

The nine counts include two videos and seven pictures depicting girls under the age of 18 engaging in sexual conduct, all of which were found on his computer in May 2014.

It is not certain whether or not the material was found on Quinn’s university or personal computer.

Quinn, 59, resigned from UNT on June 4, UNT spokeswoman Margarita Venegas said. He was a tenured professor in the department of rehabilitation, social work and addictions and has co-authored several books on the criminal justice system.

Tim Powers, a criminal justice attorney in Denton, said that his sentencing will depend on the severity of the case and of the images found.

If Quinn is found guilty, he could face between two to 10 years in prison because each charge is a third-degree felony, according to the Texas Penal Code.

Judge Margaret Barnes could decide to stack the charges, in which case he would be sentenced two to 10 years for each of the nine charges, facing a maximum of 90 years in prison.

Should Quinn strike a plea bargain, it’s possible that he would only be convicted for the standard two to 10 year sentence, Powers said. Depending if he is a first-time offender, he may also be given probation for the next two to 10 years.

In any case he would be required to register as a sex offender if convicted.

The court hearing is scheduled to take place on Aug. 20 in Denton.