CMU professor charged with four counts of child pornography last week submits letter of resignation

Professor of Teacher Education William Lord Merrill submitted his letter of resignation to Central Michigan University Monday afternoon following charges of four counts related to child pornography last week.

Central Michigan University professor Bill Merrill

According to a university news release, Merrill’s resignation will be effective immediately.

On Thursday, Merrill was charged in Isabella County Trial Court with four counts relating to child pornography. He was charged with one count of possession of sexually abusive material, one of distributing or promoting child sexually abusive activity and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime, according to court documents.  He also was charged with one misdemeanor charge of possession of a switch blade.

Merrill was placed on leave with pay on Nov. 5, pending an employment investigation. His salary for the 2011-12 academic year was $97,394.

His resignation concludes that leave.

Merrill has been at CMU since 1987 and became tenured in 1993.

According to his bio page on cmich.edu, Merrill specializes in “censorship and the Internet, impact of children on advertising in society, integration of the Internet into instruction to enhance teaching and learning, and using technology to enhance teaching and learning.”

Continue to check cm-life.com for more details.