University of the Pacific professor Rod Githens arrested on allegations of sexually explicit conduct with a minor
STOCKTON – A University of the Pacific professor is on leave after he was arrested at his West Sacramento home in connection to a child sex abuse case.
On Monday, the university announced that Professor Rod Githens had been placed on administrative leave. The university says they were made aware that afternoon of legal proceedings against Githens, but officials didn't comment on the nature of the case.
Githens was named in an article published earlier on Monday in the Daily Beast, however, detailing his alleged attempt to arrange sex with a seven-year-old girl who was actually an undercover FBI agent.
According to a 27-page criminal complaint, Githens was chatting with the undercover agent on the secure messaging app Telegram. Selfies he sent that allegedly clearly showed his face allowed agents to positively identify Githens, the FBI says.
Agents conducted a search warrant of Githens' Maryland Avenue home in West Sacramento on April 19. With the help of West Sacramento police, officers prompted Githens to come to the station under the pretense of picking up some packages that were stolen from him months before. After leaving his home, officers pulled him over and took him to the police department for questioning.
The criminal complain against Githens shows that he's facing charges of receipt and distribution of images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Githen's page has been taken down from the University of the Pacific's website, but a cached version of the page shows that he was an associate professor and the Program Lead for the Organizational Innovation and Change Program.