Warrant: Computer crimes search leads police to gun in UNC employee office

Chapel Hill, N.C. — A former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill employee was fired last week after police found a 9-mm handgun in his campus office, authorities said Monday.

Charles Hitlin, 42, was charged with felony possession of a gun on campus property. He is due in court in January.

Police searched Hitlin's office in Rosenau Hall after an undercover investigation led them to his computer.

According to a search warrant posted on the Daily Tar Heel website, an undercover officer was chatting with someone claiming to be Hitlin's wife, Amy Hitlin, also a UNC employee, about having sex with multiple partners, including a 12-year-old and 15-year-old boy.

Investigators traced the chat back to Charles Hitlin's computer, according to the warrant.

Police said they plan to also search Amy Hitlin's office in University Career Services for the School of Public Health.

Charles Hitlin's attorney, Meredith Nicholson, said her client is a good person who is the victim of a spying government.

"Mr. Hitlin is not a predator, not a pedophile and not a pornographer," she said in a statement. "He is not a danger to his community."

Charles Hitlin was fired on Nov. 12, more than 11 years after he started at UNC. He worked as an information technology manager, and his annual salary was $91,705.

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Latest Comments

does UNC not do ANY due diligence when they hire these folks for taxpayer salaries and benefits?

Good grief, an IT manager? Packing heat in his desk and mixed up in kiddie porn. Guy looks like a drifter....

aetius476
November 23, 2012 1:00 p.m.

Neither this man nor his wife have been charged with ANYTHING other than possession of a firearm on school property. Y'all are ready to string these people like it's the thing to do and there's not even enough conclusive evidence to CHARGE them with any sex crimes! Shame on you!

sarahsoandso
November 21, 2012 2:35 p.m.

Stupidity cost him a 91K Job. What was he and his wife thinking????

nbspikeb1
November 21, 2012 1:19 p.m.

Liberal versus conservative, yada, yada, yada. With the Democrats in office my gun rights actually got better!

To the issue, I believe we should be allowed to carry on school campuses. Or we should at least have the ability to drive on campus with firearms, like when dropping off in the carpool lane. Or be allowed the have the firearms secured in the car.

I carry wherever I legally can. I follow the rules, which means sometimes my gun stays at home because I’m briefly on a school campus somewhere. That’s ridiculous. It’s also ridiculous that I can’t carry while eating a salad at Olive Garden.

Time for NC to make some common sense adjustments to the gun laws.

Lightfoot3
November 21, 2012 11:43 a.m.

..."WHEW! How many people do you know have a 9/mm handgun in their office desk?..."

You would probably be absolutely amazed.....!! I however, am not...CCW permit FBI background checks are taking 6-8+ weeks because of the huge backlog, and CCW classes are totally full....!!!!