A woman is suing Barry University, claiming the school was negligent in hiring and retaining a former professor who currently faces charges of video voyeurism and 50 counts of child pornography possession.
The suit was filed on behalf of Kali McElroy, a former student of Glen-Peter Ahlers, 71, who claims the law professor tried to “photograph her genitals” while she attended his class on the Orlando campus, according to court records.
Ahlers was arrested on Aug. 19 on a count of video voyeurism. That arrest came about six months after he was arrested in February and charged with 50 counts of child pornography possession.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in early February searched Ahlers’ office at Barry University School of Law as part of an investigation into child pornography possession allegations.
Officers found “hundreds or thousands” of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material on Ahlers’ Dropbox account. The content depicted children as young as infants and toddlers, plus school-age children, engaged in sexual acts and being sexually battered.
Amid this investigation, police also discovered videos on Ahlers’ cell phone appearing to depict a woman in his class.
The hidden folder on his phone contained four “obscene and inappropriate photographs” appearing to depict a female student on campus. At least one photo was determined to be of McElroy.
“In the series of the four photographs, Glen was zooming in on the female’s groin, attempting to photograph her genitals or the clothing covering her genitals,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Despite the discovery, Ahlers remained permitted to teach students for about another two weeks. He was arrested on campus Feb. 17, after he taught a morning class. He was terminated two days later.
McElroy was later informed following the investigation of his office.
McElroy’s lawsuit alleges Barry University neglected to reckon with the fact that Ahlers had a criminal history even before he was hired at the school, previously having been charged with a secret peeping misdemeanor in the late 1980s.
He was a librarian at Wake Forest University’s law school at the time of that arrest, which resulted from his looking through the bedroom of a woman, per court records.
“Despite the existence of that criminal history, Barry hired Ahlers and placed him in a position affording him repeated and direct access to students in classrooms under his authority and control,” the suit reads.
The suit argues a “reasonable and appropriately conducted pre-employment investigation into the background, criminal history, employment history, and fitness” of Ahlers would have revealed evidence of past misconduct.
Ahlers still faces dozens of charges of child pornography possession resulting from the February investigation and his subsequent arrest.
Attorney Amir Hayavi, representing McElroy, told Orlando’s News 6 that, in his view, “This is a systemic issue at Barry University.”
“She’s a mother and she’s a mother to a daughter, and her position is, ‘If I don’t do this for myself, what would my daughter think?’” Hayavi told News 6.
McElroy is seeking $50,000 in damages for emotional and psychological distress and humiliation.
