Registered sex offender arrested in Altamonte Springs on child pornography charges

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — An Altamonte Springs man who was already on Florida’s sex offender registry for possession of child sex abuse material has been arrested again on similar charges, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Thursday.

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According to FDLE, the investigation into 41-year-old Joseph Hodgkins began back in January when agents received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children referencing child sexual abuse material being uploaded to a social media platform.

Investigators subsequently identified Hodgkins as the person behind the account, which he had not reported, as required by law for registered sex offenders in Florida.

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According to FDLE, the investigation found that Hodgkins had been communicating with minors online, including sending them adult pornographic files and downloading images of children engaged in sexual activity.

Hodgkins had been on Florida’s sex offender registry since 2015 when he was arrested by FDLE and ultimately convicted of possession of child sexual abuse material, use of a computer to solicit or lure a child to engage in sexual conduct, and sending harmful information to minors.

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He was arrested at his Altamonte Springs home on Wednesday and booked into the Seminole County jail on 11 additional felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, two counts of transmitting harmful material to a minor, and one count of violating sexual offender registration requirements for failing to register the social media account.

Hodgkins remains in the Seminole Count jail on no bond, pending an initial appearance in court.

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The investigation was conducted by FDLE’s Orlando Cybercrimes Task Force.

For more information from FDLE on how to protect children online, click here.

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