Former Benton Firefighter Indicted In Federal Child Pornography Case

Little Rock - Christopher R. Thyer, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced that Timothy Ryan Bodkin, age 39, a former Lieutenant with the Benton Fire Department, made his initial appearance today before United States Magistrate J. Thomas Ray on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. Bodkin pled not guilty. He is not detained.

Bodkin was indicted February 6, 2012, after an investigation into the file sharing of child pornography. On May 24, 2012, an Arkansas State Police Special Agent isolated an IP address used by Bodkin which had downloaded pornographic images. With assistance from the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, it was determined that the computer Bodkin allegedly used to acquire and view child pornography was located in his locker at a Benton Fire Department station.

After securing a search warrant, investigators found a laptop computer in Bodkin’s locker at the fire station. Investigators obtained a subsequent search warrant to review the materials on the computer. The forensic report conducted by agents with the Arkansas State Police, revealed over 1,000 images of child pornography were located on Bodkin’s computer.

This case was investigated by the Arkansas State Police and the Saline County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens is prosecuting this case for the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

An indictment contains only allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.