http://weartv.com/news/local/arrested-fdle-agents-cases-reviewed-by-state-attorney

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) — The State Attorney's Office is reviewing several cases tied to Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agent Charles "Chuck" McMullen.

For years, McMullen put sexual predators behind bars, now he is facing several felony charges of his own.

McMullen was arrested Tuesday, accused of molesting and sodomizing two 8-year-old boys. He is charged with two counts of sexual assault/battery on victims less than 12 and lewd lascivious behavior on victims less than 12.

According to the arrest report, McMullen told one of the boys to not tell anyone and that it was "between you and me."

Could McMullen's charges affect other cases?

It's possible that McMullen's arrest could jeopardize other cases but State Attorney Bill Eddins told Channel Three News it's not likely.

Eddins said McMullen is tied to seven cases currently in the first circuit. Those cases involve child pornography and those accused of travelling to have sex with minors. All of the cases are currently being reviewed to see how they can continue without McMullen taking the stand.

Eddins told C3N he is confident they can proceed with the evidence independent from McMullen's involvement in the case. Eddins said McMullen's role was primarily a supervising role, and he was not directly involved in the case.

Eddins' office is currently working to formally tell the defense attorneys in the cases about how they plan to proceed.

FDLE is also conducting an internal investigation and plans to turn over their findings to Eddin's office.

'Surpising and disapointing'

The State Attorney's Office works closely with local law enforcement, but they are no stranger to prosecuting those expected to uphold the law. McMullen worked close with the Santa Rosa Kids House and the Gulf Coast Kids House during his stint with the Attorney General's Office.

He continued to have a working relationship with the Sate Attorney's when he transitioned to the FDLE and because of that, Eddins assigned this case to two Escambia County attorneys that had little to no contact with McMullen.

Eddins says his office is known for vigorously prosecuting LEOs who break the law, however, not everyone in the profession should get a black eye.

"There are occasional times when people violate the law as in any profession. All professions have some people that violate the law. we find that the vast majority of law enforcement in this circuit are proud professional people and I'm proud to work with them," Eddins said.

Increased conviction rate

The Gulf Coast Kid's House and Santa Rosa Kid's House were created to help children find a safe space to talk with investigators about what may have happened to them. But when Eddins started working in the State Attorney's office, those houses didn't exist.

"Children would wind up being interviewed several different times, during the process, they also would be taken to several different buildings and locations for counseling, interviews with law enforcement, interviews with the defense attorney," said Eddins.

Now, children are only interviewed twice from the comfort and kid-friendly atmosphere at the kid houses. Eddins told C3N his office has seen a dramatic increase in convictions due to the change.

"It's been tremendous progress in the matter in which these cases are handled as far as making it more child friendly. It's also improved our conviction rates," Eddins said.

State Attorney fights for higher bond

During McMullen's first court appearance, Eddins' office argued against a reduction of bond.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office originally set the bond at $1.5 million but after hearing from the defense attorney, Judge Tony Giraud agreed to reduce it to $300,000.

Judge Giraud was not available Thursday to comment on why the bond was reduced.

McMullen's next appearance in court is scheduled for Dec. 8. Eddins told Channel 3 he expects the discovery process to take several months and would not expect a trial date until next summer or fall.

If McMullen is convicted of these crimes, he could see multiple life-in-prison sentences or, at minimum, decades in jail.