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Posted: Thursday, October 25th, 2012 9:01 AM HST

Big Island man indicted for producing child porn

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Big Island man with six counts of producing child pornography. The indictment filed Wednesday alleges John Ridgely Tucker of Pahoa used and enticed two children to produce six images of child pornography in 2008. The U.S. Attorney's office says each charge carries a minimum penalty of 15 years in jail and up to 30 years in prison. The 56-year-old bed-and-breakfast operator was arrested and charged earlier this month after the FBI distributed a photo of a suspect and asked the public for help in finding him. Tucker's attorney, Brian DeLima, told reporters after the arrest that suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Tucker had been scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Thursday but the hearing was rescheduled for Friday.