Arkansas Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison on Child Exploitation Charges

NASHVILLE – Jared James Dabbs, 41, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was sentenced last week to 40 years in federal prison on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of receipt of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.

A federal grand jury indicted the defendant in December 2022. On August 19, 2024, he pled guilty to all counts in the indictment.

On March 8, 2022, Dabbs pawned his laptop at Big Boss Pawn and Gun in Giles County, Tennessee. When the pawn shop owner inspected the laptop to confirm it was operable, he found child sexual abuse material on the laptop and contacted law enforcement. Dabbs was identified as the person who pawned the laptop. The next day, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on the defendant’s laptop and located images of child sexual abuse material including images the defendant produced of the minor victim. That same day, the Giles County Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and FBI executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence, where they seized multiple electronic devices. Following his arrest, Dabbs was interviewed by law enforcement officers, and he admitted creating sexual abuse material of the minor victim, that he engaged in sexual contact with the minor victim on multiple occasions, and that he downloaded and viewed child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices.

“The protection of children in our communities from sexual predators is among the highest priorities of the Department of Justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Thanks to the efforts of our prosecutors and our law enforcement partners, Jared Dabbs will never hurt another child again and justice has been done.”

“This case underscores the critical role that everyday citizens can play in combating child sexual exploitation,” said a Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud. “Because of the vigilance of a sharp-eyed pawn shop employee, law enforcement was alerted, responded swiftly, and a child predator was removed from the streets.”

"Children are among the most vulnerable in our communities," said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI is committed to finding and arresting those who prey on children, and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure these predators are off the streets and held accountable for their heinous crimes."

Following his sentence of incarceration, Dabbs will be on supervised release for 10 years and he is required to register as a sex offender.  The Court also ordered Dabbs to pay $69,600 in restitution.

Homeland Security Investigations, FBI Nashville Field Office, and the Giles County Sheriff’s Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica R. Morrison and Robert E. McGuire prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.

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