Ron & Marty. (YouTube)

A professional puppeteer who acted out Bible stories at his church plotted from his Florida mobile home to torture, cook and eat children, authorities say.

Ronald William Brown, 57, of Largo, is charged with conspiring to kidnap a child and possession of child pornography.

Investigators say they found child pornography on his computer as well as online chats with another man about “killing, dismembering and eating” a specific boy at Brown’s church, reports Tampabay.com, citing the 29-page affidavit filed in federal court in Tampa. The images are said to be graphic, depicting children bound and gagged; in some, the children appear to be dead. The pair discussed killing children as young as two and discussed what different body parts would taste like.

Brown, who told authorities the chats were just fantasy, according to the report, is around children every day as part of his work and volunteer activities.

On his website, Pupppetsplus.com, Brown lists Home Depot, McDonald’s, schools, churches and rec centres as some of his clients. He worked at Tampa Bay Rays games, according to some reports.

He also worked at the Christian Television Network in Largo, where he performed ventriloquist segments on a show called Joy Junction. In one video uploaded to YouTube, a puppet named Marty “tells” Brown about some bad kids trying to show him dirty pictures.

Brown appeared in court Tuesday, but a judge postponed his hearing until he could secure a lawyer.