HOUSTON — A suspended University of Houston professor had more than 260 images of child porn, prosecutors said during his hearing on Thursday.
James ‘Andy’ Chang, 35, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 10 and then charged with five counts of possession of child pornography.
During his second court appearance, prosecutors said Chang had images of naked children as young as 8 years old. He also had videos showing a child performing sex acts, according to prosecutors.
They said Chang downloaded some of the child pornography while on the UH campus.
Investigators subpoenaed information from internet service providers that allegedly connects Chang to accounts that downloaded child pornography.
“I think predators like that, they look for hunting grounds, they look for places where they can prey on innocent people,” Assistant District Attorney Nicole DeFee said. “So that’s the real concern here, is that people like him who really are predators, finding their way into positions of power, positions where people count on them, where children count on them, where they’re around young people. So, he’s extremely concerning.”
Prosecutors said more charges could be added pending the investigation.
Chang's attorney asked for a lower bond but the judge kept it at $100,000 for each charge for a total of $500,000.
The University of Houston said in a statement Chang was suspended following his arrest.
Chang is listed as the assistant director of graduate studies in UH's mathematics department. He's also listed as a lecturer and teaches courses, including college algebra and intro to geometric reasoning.
On Wednesday, we spoke with some of his UH algebra students who said they heard about his arrest from some of his other students.
"They were in that class when he was arrested and they let us know in the group chat that he was arrested and we probably wouldn’t have class," one student said.
If Chang posts bond, he is not allowed to have contact with anyone 17 or younger, and he can't have access to the internet.