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  Muncie Man Facing Federal Child-Porn Charges

By Rick Yencer
The Star-Press
February 28, 2009

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20090228/NEWS01/902280321/1002

INDIANAPOLIS -- A Muncie man with ties to a local church was charged Friday with distributing child pornography on the Internet following a federal investigation.

Aaron B. Huddleston, 22, was charged in U.S. District Court with distributing, via the Internet, 17 video files and 305 computer files with pornographic images involving infants, pre-teens and teenagers with adults.

The Internet address, according to the criminal complaint, was assigned to the defendant's father, Steve Huddleston, who lives in the 2400 block of Ivanhoe Drive, and is pastor at University Christian Church. The younger Huddleston was identified as a Bible school student focusing on youth outreach during a 2006 internship at another local church.

An undercover FBI agent assigned to the agency's Innocent Images National Initiative registered the user name "hussyfan" -- associated with a sexual interest in children -- and was contacted online by Aaron Huddleston, who downloaded dozens of pornographic images from his father's computer account.

The FBI had the Huddleston family under surveillance last November at their home and the church, according to court documents, and served a search warrant Nov. 19 at the home, where Aaron Huddleston, wearing pajamas, answered the door.

Aaron Huddleston reportedly waived his rights and said his parents and sister knew nothing about his online activities, while admitting his online user name as federal agents found large amounts of child pornography on a computer in his bedroom.

The Muncie man was initially arrested, then was placed on home detention with electronic monitoring, according to an order handed down by U.S. Magistrate Kennard Foster shortly before Christmas.

An initial appearance before Foster is scheduled March 12. The charges against Aaron Huddleston carry a maximum 20-year prison term and $250,000 fine.

Huddleston's father, Steve, declined to comment Friday about his son or his home detention, and the younger Huddleston's public defender, James McKinley, did not return telephone calls.

The federal government has a national initiative, Project Safe Childhood, to fight the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. And the FBI has a division that investigates crimes against children and particularly child pornography online.

Contact news reporter Rick Yencer at 213-5833.

 
 

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