Two indicted in federal child porn cases

FAYETTEVILLE — Investigations conducted by the Springdale Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the U.S. Probation Office and the Northwest ArkansasSex Offender and Violent Crime Task Force led to two indictments Thursday.

Keith A. McGarry, 41, and Jeremy Estes, 37, were indicted on federal charges in the Western District of Arkansas for receipt and possession of sexuallyexplicit materials involving children. Although charged at the same time, the two men are involved in unrelated cases.

"These are totally separate incidents," Dewaine Allen, U.S. Marshals Ser-vice public affairs officer, said. "They're not connected at all, but we just announced them together because they were indicted at the same time."

McGarry, a resident of Republic, Mo., was in Northwest Arkansas on business at the time ofthe indictments, while Estes resides in Springdale and is employed in Fayetteville.

"McGarry came about with the help of investigations done by the Springdale Police Department," Allen said. "And Estes came about entirely from work done by the U.S. Probation Office."

The U.S. Marshals Service headed the task force and was following up onallegations indicating that both McGarry and Estes were believed to be in possession of sexually explicit images involving children. Following the investigation, search warrants were issued, and electronic evidence found in the two men's possession was seized.

Both McGarry and Estes are now awaiting federal arraignment on these charges.