Michael Henson, a department head and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is facing multiple child exploitation charges.

Henson, who has taught at the flagship Massachusetts campus for nearly two decades, is accused of taking photos of a minor in a state of undress over a period of several months last year, according to court documents obtained by MassLive.

The minor told investigators they learned Henson had taken approximately 50 revealing images, according to court documents, and asked him to stop. Henson�s phone contained text messages from him admitting to the behavior, according to investigators.

A review of Henson�s phone by officers found the phone had been wiped clean and reset, according to court documents.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Northampton District Court on Sept. 17 on three child exploitation charges.

Henson, 58, was listed as teaching two chemical engineering courses at UMass this fall by SPIRE, the university�s student information system, as of Thursday morning.

MassLive reached out to UMass to confirm Henson�s employment status. He was placed on administrative leave effective Thursday, university spokesperson Ed Blaguszewski said. �Given that action, he will not be teaching any classes.�