Pennsylvania fugitive sex offender found living in woods behind Florida home, U.S. Marshals say

A sex offender from Pennsylvania who had been on the run for nearly two months was arrested after U.S. Marshals said they found him living in the woods behind a home in Florida. 

The U.S. Marshals Service said two of its task forces found 46-year-old Christopher Mazzoni in Naples on Wednesday, ending a search for the Tier 3 sex offender that began on March 9. Authorities said Mazzoni was wanted on charges in Pennsylvania of disseminating child sex acts and sexual abuse materials. 

Because Mazzoni was previously convicted on child pornography charges in Delaware County, he was required to register his residence under Megan's Law, but U.S. Marshals said they believed Mazzoni was getting help to avoid being found by law enforcement down in Florida. 

Marshals carried out a search warrant on Wednesday morning on Crawford Avenue in Naples, and after extensively searching the property, they said they found Mazzoni living in the woods behind the home. He was taken to the Collier County Jail to await extradition to Pennsylvania. 

U.S. Marshals shared photos of Mazzoni's arrest, including the makeshift hut where he'd apparently been living. Authorities didn't say how long he'd been living there. 

"The U.S. Marshals Service has zero tolerance for sexual predators preying on children; as Mr. Mazzoni learned, going entirely off of the grid in a different state offers no respite from the relentless pursuit of justice," Eric Gartner, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said in a news release.