Michael Hudson, a 21 year old employee of Phoenix Parks and Recreation, was arrested on Friday 23, 2013 after reports were made to the police of attempted child molestation and child luring. As soon as Parks officials were made aware of the allegations, Hudson chose to resign his position as part-time recreation leader in Ahwatkee rather than be fired from the job.
The victim in the case is a 13-year old girl. She met Hudson two years ago at the camp and ever since the two have shared Facebook pages and messages as well as text messages. The allegations of attempted child molestation and child luring for the purposes of exploitation developed from a situation that took place on the night of May 17. At that time, Hudson sneaked in through the window of the girl’s bedroom where she was with two friends, who are also possibly minors. He attempted to make sexual advances towards her but was rebuffed.
He brought alcohol into the home and supplied the victim and her friends with drinks throughout the night. No account has been provided as to how he managed to exit the home, but reports say that he did spend the night,
Following this incident he continued to text the 13-year old with messages trying to lure her to a location where they could meet. She reported the events to her father, who then contacted the police.
Phoenix Parks and Recreation is cooperating with authorities in the on-going investigation. Hudson has been charged with Luring a Child for Sexual Exploitation and Attempted Child Molestation. Both of these charges are class 3 felonies. He has also been charged with one count of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, which is a class 1 felony.
If found guilty of these charges, Hudson could be facing jail time from 2 to 10 years for each of the class 3 felonies, but the class 1 felony is the most serious charge of all. He remains incarcerated while the investigation unfolds.