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Court Documents Detail Child Porn Charges Against OU Professor
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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The Ohio University business professor charged with multiple counts of pandering obscenity is still awaiting a trial, but his charges were explained earlier this week in Athens County Common Pleas Court.
A bill of particulars was filed March 24 in the case of Amol Kharabe, 41, of Dublin.
Kharabe was arrested in February on a warrant for nine counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, one count of pandering obscenity, one count of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance and one count of possessing criminal tools. All the charges are felonies of varying degrees.
The criminal tool allegedly used in this case was a computer, according to the bill of particulars, which is a document that spells out charges made against a defendant.
Although Kharabe was served the warrant at his Park Mill Drive residence in Dublin, the court documents state that the crimes were committed at an apartment at 366 Richland Ave.
The computer "was found to contain videos containing minor children involved in sexual situations," according to the court document. The computer was also allegedly found to contain a video containing "a young male and female involved in sexual situations."
The first nine counts, pandering obscenity involving a minor, allege that Kharabe "did, with knowledge of the character of the material or performance involved, create, reproduce, or publish obscene material that has a minor as one of its participants…," court documents state.
The pandering obscenity charge differs because the individuals who are allegedly in the material are not listed as minors.
Kharabe allegedly possessed 10 videos containing "minor children in various states of undress involved in sexual situations," according to the charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material of performance.
Kharabe is listed as an assistant professor with the OU College of Business and had been in the position for about a year, according to previous Messenger reporting. He is originally from India.
He was arrested in February by Dublin police and transported back to Athens for his arraignment on Feb. 13.
He was released under from custody after Judge George McCarthy issued a $50,000 signature bond during his arraignment. He will remain out of jail as long as he appears for hearings and remains a law-abiding citizen.
A final pre-trial in the case is scheduled for April 8 and a jury trial is currently scheduled for July 8.