Former UNI Prof Dies in Arkansas Jail

A former UNI professor, accused of molesting young children, has died while serving prison time.

80 year old John Longnecker allegedly fondled three children, between 5 and 8 years old. The incidents happened in Arkansas, where Longnecker had moved several years ago.

Prior to that, Longnecker was also accused of sexually assaulting several children when he lived Cedar Falls.

Charges were never filed in Iowa; family members told authorities about the incidents, and that case was investigated in Cedar Falls.
In Arkansas, Longnecker pleaded guilty to rape, sexual assault, and child pornography; he was sentenced to 95 years in prison.

Longnecker taught math and computer science at UNI, until his retirement in 2000, a total of 33 years at the Cedar Falls school.

He had been suffering from lung cancer. Longnecker died in an Arkansas prison on Tuesday, October 15th.