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Former Merrimack College Professor Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Charge

BOSTON (AP) — A former Merrimack College engineering professor has pleaded guilty to using a college-owned computer to access child pornography.

Related: Merrimack College Professor Arrested For Child Porn

Gary Spring pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to having more than 300 images of nude, prepubescent girls under the age of 12 on the computer owned by the North Andover school.

The 62-year-old Spring was fired shortly after his arrest a year ago.

Spring had worked at the Catholic college for about a decade and had 30 years of experience in academia.

The college's Information Technology Department received virus alerts about Spring's computer, which prompted the investigation.

His is free on bail pending sentencing scheduled for Dec. 9. His defense attorney says he expects a prison sentence of roughly four to five years.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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