A Granby man was arraigned earlier this month on 22 charges related to child pornography, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.
David Linnehan, 38, pleaded not guilty to all charges, including multiple charges for unauthorized access to student computers and emails and having an unlicensed firearm. Linnehan, who is out on $25,000 bail, must have his location monitored by GPS, stay within Massachusetts, and stay away from the Internet and minors under 18, among other conditions.
The arraignment was the latest step in an investigation dating back to March 2013, when the Massachusetts State Police first received a tip from federal authorities about a local email address related to the circulation of child pornography. That investigation ended with Linnehan’s arrest and a first set of charges in April for two counts of possession of child pornography. After further investigation, authorities found he allegedly had kept thousands of media files depicting child sexual abuse and allegedly had attempted to solicit nude photographs of minors from an out-of-state mother and an unrelated minor over the Internet.
A former IT administrator at Springfield College who was terminated in April, Linnehan also allegedly used both work and home computers to gain unauthorized access to students’ computers and emails, download some of their photographs, and store them. He was charged on multiple counts of unauthorized access to a computer system.
Steve Roulier, a Springfield College spokesperson, said in a statement that the College is taking steps to remedy Linnehan’s “blatant abuse” of his position.
“...We've contacted all known affected College individuals and offered and provided necessary assistance to them,” he said. “Safety is our first priority and the College has and continues to take measures to enhance the College's network security and personal accounts of our students and employees.”
Linnehan faces two additional charges for possessing and improperly storing an unlicensed firearm.
Assistant Attorney General Timothy Wyse is prosecuting this case. Linnehan’s pre-trial hearing is scheduled for June 11 at Hampshire Superior Court. He was unable to be reached for comment.