A Largo man who works as a puppeteer is facing serious charges.

Ronald William Brown was arrested Friday on federal charges that he conspired to kidnap children.

He's in federal custody until his bond hearing, possibly next week.

Officials said Brown, 57, wanted to kidnap children, then torture, rape and kill them. Brown lives in a mobile home park in Largo near 142nd Street.

According to documents from federal officials, Brown was in possession of child pornography and was targeting a young boy at a local church.

Documents indicated Brown had planned to cook the remains of toddlers on a stove and eat them.

Brown has run his own puppeteer company, "Puppet Plus" since 1992. Some of his puppet shows were performed for Pinellas County school functions.

Directors from one summer camp in Seminole said Brown had a puppet performance for the kids here earlier this month.

“I’m absolutely disgusted someone an individual could have thoughts like he does,” said Kelly Schwegel, camp director.

His background check came up clean.

“There was nothing there. There’s no way of knowing other than someone providing you a resume, getting some word of mouth,” said Jim Sheets, camp director.

Neighbors in Brown's Largo mobile home park say they always knew there was something “off” about him.

“He was an antisocial, strange person. He would never associate or speak to any adults,” said Laura Jane Schate, neighbor.

Stacey Gaughan said parents had no idea, even allowing Brown to take their kids in a van to church.

“As a parent, scared, kind of crazy things said about what his thoughts were going through his head, things he’s possibly done. Wondering whether he did this here,” Gaughan said.