By ANNE LINDBERG, TB Reporter

Pinellas deputies said they found obscene pictures on his computer.

SEMINOLE – James Anthony Schnur, a librarian at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, has been accused of possessing child pornography and other obscene material, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Schnur, 51, of Seminole, was arrested Wednesday (April 12) morning and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of prohibition of certain acts in connection with obscene materials.

Deputies said they began investigating in January after receiving information that Schnur possessed child pornography. Deputies said they were able to recover numerous images depicting bestiality and child pornography from Schnur’s computer.

Schnur, who works at USFSP’s Nelson Poynter Library in charge of special collections and archives, which includes signature collections in local history, rare books and the print and digital archives of USFSP. Since the fall 2003 semester, Schnur has supervised fieldwork and independent student experiences for graduate students in the USF School of Information as well as USFSP’s Florida Studies Program. Schnur has also taught a graduate-level course in Archival Management in the School of Information. He has also served on the adjunct faculty of Eckerd College.

Schnur has written papers and books on subjects ranging from the history of Oldsmar and north Pinellas County to early Florida politics. He has lectured and appeared at local and national conferences and on panels.

In 2013, he was recognized by the Society of Florida Archivists for his work as a librarian at USFSP, his teaching and mentoring as an adjunct member of the faculty in the School of Information at USF Tampa, and his efforts to promote and preserve local and Florida history. He was the official historian for Pinellas County’s centennial in 2012 and has been president of the Pinellas County Historical Society and served on boards and committees of other cultural and historical organizations in Florida.

USFSP spokeswoman Jessica Blais declined to comment, saying, “USF St. Petersburg is aware of the reported incident involving James Schnur, but cannot comment as this matter is under investigation. Mr. Schnur has been employed at the university since 2000 and currently serves as head of Special Collections and University Archives. He is on leave pending the university’s review of the matter.”

For information about the Pinellas sheriff, go to pcsoweb.com.

Pinellas Sheriff | Crime | Child Pornography | Jim Schnur | Arrests | Tampa Bay News | TB Reporter

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