New London man sentenced to prison for child sex crimes

NEW LONDON — A New London man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after previously pleading guilty in two separate cases relating to child sex crimes. Nathan E. Hunker, 35, of the 100 block of N. Main St., was convicted on 10 felony charges in two separate cases. Hunker specifically pleaded guilty on Sept. 17, 2025, in his first case to the following charges: • Two counts of importuning, each a fifth-degree felony • Two counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, each a fourth-degree felony • One count of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, a fifth-degree felony • One count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony • One count of endangering children, a second-degree felony Hunker pleaded guilty to the seven charges in exchange for 21 additional felony counts to be dismissed, according to court records. In Hunker's most recent case, he pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 to three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, each a third-degree felony. Hunker pleaded guilty to the three felony charges in exchange for three counts of sexual imposition, each a third-degree misdemeanor, to be dismissed. In total, Hunker pleaded guilty to 10 felony charges in exchange for 24 additional charges to be dismissed. Huron County Common Pleas Court Judge James Conway sentenced Hunker to serve a prison term ranging between nearly eight years and nearly 10 years, according to court records. Under the terms of his sentencing, Hunker is classified as a Tier 2 sex offender, which means that he must provide verification of his home and work addresses to the local sheriff approximately every six months for a period of 25 years. Background According to Hunker's November 2025 indictment, the crimes occurred between December 2023 and March 2025 when Hunker allegedly engaged in "sexual conduct" with someone who was less than 16 years of age. The investigation into Hunker in his child pornography case began on Jan. 4, 2024, when a Huron County Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched to a home to take a report after a husband and wife found out that their underage child was in a relationship with a then-33-year-old Hunker, according to a Huron County Sheriff's Office report. Once the deputy arrived at the house, the parents explained that their child had begun hanging out with Hunker in October 2023 and had begun "dating" him in December 2023. The following day, the deputy interviewed the child about their relationship with Hunker, and the child allegedly admitted that they had both sent nude photographs of themselves to each other and primarily communicated on social media apps Snapchat, Discord and Just Talk, the report states.