2 Jacksonville men indicted on charges of producing child porn

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Jacksonville men were indicted this week by federal grand juries on charges of producing child pornography. Both of them also face state charges of sexual assault against a child.

The cases against Christopher Cloonan, 44, and Charles Hudson Jr., 38, do not appear to be related, but both men are accused of not only having child porn but also making it.

Susan Duncan, a neighbor of Cloonan, said she was surprised to see a slew of undercover agents raiding Cloonan's Westside home last month. She was even more shocked to find out why.

"I never let my grandson be alone here in front of the house," Duncan said.

According to Department of Justice documents, Cloonan has been charged with four counts of producing and transmitting child pornography. Jail records show he's accused of taking pictures and molesting a 7-month-old baby and was caught by undercover federal agents after they said he bragged about it on an online classifieds site.

Cloonan was already registered as a sex offender for attempted sexual battery on a child younger than 12. He was convicted on that charge 23 years ago in southwest Florida.

Barbara Webster, who lives a few houses down from Cloonan, said she looked Cloonan up online and knew he was a sex offender. She said she kept a close eye on him, especially because she's raising 4-year-old twins.

"I've got these and they stay right with me because I don't like them around them," Webster said. "Because you never know what's going to happen. You turn your back for a second and they will take off with them."

On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Hudson. He's facing four counts of producing child pornography, as well as three counts of sexual battery on a child younger than 12.

Mary Ann Yeomans, a former sex crimes prosecutor, said these are more sad examples of exploited children.

"Many times they are relatives, neighbors, people that they are able to access through their churches, even," Yeomans said. "Sometimes runaways as well that don't have parents that are out there keeping an eye on them. The victims come from all walks of life, and so do the defendants themselves.

"But this is definitely a predator we have here that as a community we can be so grateful that they caught both of these individuals."

Both men remain in the Duval County Jail.

Because Cloonan is already a registered sex offender, if convicted, he'll have to serve a mandatory life sentence for his crimes.

Hudson faces 15-30 years if he's convicted on the federal charges, and he also faces the state sexual battery charges.