Arkansas State Police File Additional Felony Charges in Child Sexual Abuse Investigation

Additional Charges Filed Against Sage Couple As Investigations Continue

Arkansas State Police have filed additional felony charges against a Sage man accused in a child sexual abuse investigation, along with new charges against his spouse.

Brandon Vincent Lara, 43, has been held in the Izard County jail since June 11, following an investigation by the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division. He was initially charged with four counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of sexual indecency with a child and one count of sexually grooming a child.

Brandon Lara - Izard County Sheriff's Office

A separate investigation by the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led to additional charges filed Oct. 12 in Izard and Marion counties.

Additional Charges in Two Arkansas Counties

In Izard County, Lara faces 40 additional counts of pandering or possessing visual or print media depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. His total bond in that county has increased to $450,000.

In Marion County, Lara faces 11 counts of engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print media and one count of transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct. Bond in Marion County is set at $200,000.

His spouse, Tara Lara, 43, also faces a felony charge in Marion County for transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct. Her bond is set at $25,000.

Investigation Remains Ongoing

According to state police, the investigation began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a cyber tip from Google regarding suspected child sexual abuse material linked to an online account belonging to Brandon Lara.

Investigators executed search warrants on the accounts and reportedly found additional evidence, including indications that photographs of minors had been digitally altered to create sexually explicit images.

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The investigation remains active, and investigators expect to file additional charges against both individuals in Izard and Marion counties. No further details have been released.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Izard County Sheriff's Office
Arkansas State Police

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