UNC professor charged with duplicating child pornography, loses job

A UNC archaeology professor was arrested last month on child pornography charges and lost his job, according to officials and public records.

Gilbert Kenneth Sams, 73, of 100 Oak St. in Carrboro, was charged by UNC Public Safety on Feb. 28 with 10 felony counts of second-degree exploitation of a minor, court records show.

His employment at the university, where he was working part time after starting phased retirement last July, ended the same day, personnel records show.

Arrest warrants show Sams was charged with duplicating 10 different videos depicting boys between the ages of 11 and 17 engaging in sexual activity, “the defendant knowing the material’s character and content.” The offenses occurred between April 2009 and July 2016, warrants state.

Sams declined to comment when reached at home.

“My attorney says I cannot say anything,” he said.

Sams, a classics professor in UNC’s archaeology program and chairman of the classics department from 1986 to 1996, was released from the Orange County Jail on a $30,000 secured bond in March 6. He was required to provide a DNA sample and fingerprints as a condition of his release, records show.

According to university personnel information, Sams started as a visiting assistant professor in the art department, a temporary position, in 1970, becoming a full-time permanent employee in 1971.

He is scheduled to appear in court April 28. The investigation is continuing, UNC spokesman Randy Young said.

Staff writer Mark Schultz contributed to this story.

This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "UNC professor charged with duplicating child pornography, loses job."