ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando law professor is now behind bars after being accused of possessing child pornography, according to records obtained by News 6.
That man — identified as Glen-Peter Ahlers, 70 — shows up in the Orange County jail with 50 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child.
According to the Washington, D.C. Bar, Ahlers is a retired member of the bar with an address and email tied to Barry University School of Law in Orlando.
Glen-Peter Ahlers is listed as a professor of law on the university’s website.
News 6 reached out to Barry University for more information about Ahlers and his arrest. Below is a statement provided by the university:
Barry University is aware of the arrest of a member of our law faculty. The faculty member has been placed on immediate administrative leave pending further review. The University is cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities.
Barry University Spokesperson
Few details are available about what spurred Ahlers’ charges.
At his first appearance in court on Wednesday, he was given a total bond of $100,000 — $2,000 for each count — and was ordered to surrender his passport, to not return to Barry University, and to have no contact with minors.
But during the hearing, a state attorney told the judge that investigators found far more material than the 50 charges would indicate.
“I believe it’s only 50 counts,” the prosecutor said in court. “However, it’s alleged there were hundreds of thousands of images that were found on his devices.”
An attorney also said that “on one of his devices, there were photos of female students from certain angles.”
Defense attorneys noted Ahlers has no prior criminal record and has cooperated with investigators.
“My client is 70 years old. He has no prior record of any kind. He’s married, he’s a citizen, a professional, affidavit says cooperative with law enforcement, so we’d ask the state to take those into consideration,” his attorney said.
News 6 also received a tip that Orange County deputies searched Ahlers’ office prior to his arrest. It is not yet confirmed whether investigators recovered evidence on campus.
Ahlers remained in custody at the Orange County Jail as of Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether or when he would post bond.
No additional information has been provided at this time.