News and Investigations

On Friday, August 10, 2018, PCSO undercover computer crimes detectives arrested 63-year-old Keith Guy Garrard, Sr., of 378 SR 630 East in Frostproof and charged him with:

• 68 counts possession of child pornography – enhanced (F-2)
• 2 counts sexual battery by a custodian on a victim under 12 years old (F-L)
• 2 counts sexual battery by a suspect over 18 on a victim under 12 (F-L)

“This monster is behind bars today because someone saw something, and said something. During the child pornography investigation, we further learned that he has sexually abused children – a crime which has no statute of limitations. We will do everything in our power to ensure he never has access to children again.” - Grady Judd, Sheriff

According to his affidavits, staff members at a health/medical facility in unincorporated Highlands County witnessed what appeared to be Garrard, who resides in Polk but was at the facility receiving treatment, viewing images of child pornography on his laptop.

The staff members contacted the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. HCSO detectives responded to the facility, and during an on-scene preview of his laptop, found child pornography. Garrard admitted to possessing the images, and told detectives he has more pornography at home on his computer devices there, and that he has used his cell phone to take images of young children that he sees while out. HCSO special victims unit detectives contacted PCSO, due to the fact that Garrard lives in unincorporated Polk County.

PCSO detectives served a search warrant at Garrard’s home, and located several electronic devices, which they seized for forensic analysis. They also interviewed Garrard, who told them he has been viewing child pornography for approximately 20 years. He repeated what he told HCSO detectives, that he had taken photos of female juveniles’ crotch areas with his cell phone, for the purpose of sexual gratification. He told detectives he had printed several images, and detectives located 68 printed images depicting children as young as 6 months old being sexually battered.

During the investigation, detectives interviewed more witnesses and discovered he sexually battered three different victims that he had access to when they were very young children. Garrard confessed to committing the sexual abuse.

More charges are pending the forensic analysis of his electronic devices. He is being held in the Polk County Jail under no bond for the capital felony charges, and $5,000 bond for each child pornography charge.