Psych Professor resigns University position in child porn case fallout

John Caruso, 35, a University of Montana psychology professor, has submitted his letter of resignation to the University last week following the outrage that came with his arrest for child pornography. According to Deputy County Attorney Kirsten LaCroix, investigators are determining whether any of the pornography found on Caruso’s computer hard drive and zip disks involve children from his neighborhood. As seen in the story:

On May 29, Caruso found his apartment burglarized and reported missing a black Dell laptop computer, film, a small amount of money and eight Sony PlayStation games, according to the court affidavit.

Later, in an unrelated incident on June 5, authorities responded to a disturbance call in Caruso’s neighborhood from two parents complaining about their children’s activities. While questioning one of the children, a 14 year-old girl, officials made reference to Caruso’s stolen laptop. The girl admitted to burglarizing Caruso’s apartment with the help of her 13-year-old brother, according to the affidavit.

The children told officials that after accessing Caruso’s computer files, they saw pictures of him engaging in oral sex with a girl who resembled a 7-year old girl who lived in the neighborhood.

The department has hired a replacement professor for the year. Caruso’s arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 9. He has been described as an excellent psychiatrist.