photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Bruce Stanley Springsteen, pictured in March 2020

A Lawrence man accused of possessing child pornography has been employed in two positions working with or around children, the Journal-World has found.

Bruce S. Springsteen, 62, was charged March 6 with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. The complaint filed against him alleges that on three occasions between Jan. 29, 2018, and Dec. 23, 2019, Springsteen possessed “any visual depiction” of a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Springsteen was employed as a paraeducator in the Lawrence school district for just eight days, from Sept. 17 through Sept. 25, 2015, according to district personnel records. He voluntarily resigned to pursue other employment, district spokeswoman Julie Boyle told the Journal-World via email this week.

Prior to that time frame, Springsteen worked for 15 years as a dishwasher at Hilltop Child Development Center, the child care center on the University of Kansas campus, according to KU spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson.

Springsteen worked at Pinckney Elementary School as a Title I paraeducator and was paired with a certified teacher to support student reading groups, Boyle said.

“Lawrence Public Schools has high standards for its employees. Our screening process for hiring staff includes a background check,” Boyle said via email Thursday, and she noted that the district is “unaware of any concerns raised about the professional conduct of this individual” during his brief employment.

Springsteen is currently on administrative leave from his position as a custodian at the Lied Center, and he is banned from KU’s campus, Barcomb-Peterson said via email Thursday.

“Before his custodian role, he worked as a dishwasher at Hilltop, a KU affiliate, from January 2000 to July 2015,” she wrote. “As a dishwasher, he had no unsupervised access to children.”

The Journal-World inquired about Springsteen’s employment with KU after receiving a tip from a reader and confirming with open state salary data. An employment offer letter, which the Journal-World received after filing an open record request with the university, shows that Springsteen’s custodial position started on Nov. 23, 2015.

The circumstances surrounding the charges pending against Springsteen in Douglas County District Court are unclear. The Journal-World requested the police affidavit supporting Springsteen’s arrest, but the judge sealed the document.

“Disclosure of the affidavit would reveal confidential investigative techniques or procedures that are not (known) to the general public,” Chief Judge James McCabria wrote in the order to seal the affidavit. “… Additionally, disclosure would jeopardize the physical, mental or emotional safety or well-being of the child victims described in the affidavit as the images were discovered through the course of the investigation and would only further exploit them.”

Reached via email Thursday, Springsteen’s attorney, Nick David, said his client did not wish to comment for this article.

Springsteen was arrested March 5 at the same address listed as his home, according to the Douglas County Jail booking log. He was released on $50,000 surety bond a few hours after he was formally charged at his first appearance on March 6. As a condition of his bond, he is to have no contact with children and no internet access, according to online court records.

His next court hearing was scheduled for April 27, but, given ongoing pandemic concerns, it is unlikely that the hearing will take place as scheduled.