Rod Githens.Photo: Rodgithens.com
A university professor has been arrested in California after authorities say he tried to meet up with a man he met on a dating app and the man’s fictitious 7-year-old niece.
Githens, who used the name “Tod” online, allegedly suggested they move their conversation to the Telegram instant messaging app, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of California. (Telegram is known to be more secure for its users.) The undercover agent described himself as an uncle who “had a 7-year-old niece with whom he was sexually active.”
Throughout their conversations, Githens allegedly described kids as “property” and revealed how he attempted to have sex with other young children in the past — including a planned trip to Hawaii to meet with another man he met on Grindr who allegedly agreed to let him have sexual interactions with his 1-year-old godson, per the complaint. But Githens allegedly explained the trip to Hawaii never happened because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Rod Githens.Rod Githens Facebook
The undercover agent eventually convinced Githens to send multiple selfies, which police used to identify the professor, the criminal complaint alleges.
In an attempt to convince the agent and his purported niece to meet up, Githens allegedly wrote that he’d bring the 7-year-old’s “favorite chocolate bar” and an “Ariel doll” fromThe Little Mermaid.
“Honestly I’m not assuming we’ll ever meet,” Githens allegedly wrote to the undercover agent at one point. “Guys always flake. Always.”
Githens is facing charges of “receipt and distribution of images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”
According to CBS News, the University of the Pacific has removed Githen’s professional page from its website, though a cached version shows he was an associate professor and the Program Lead for the Organizational Innovation and Change Program at the school.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
