Bureau of Indian Affairs Predatory Crimes Unit Announces Arrest Connected to Wyandotte Nation Reservation

Press Release

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Predatory Crimes Unit has announced the recent arrest of Warren Elwood Barlow III of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, for alleged attempted crimes against children involving online enticement connected to the Wyandotte Nation Reservation in northeast Oklahoma.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs officially established the Predatory Crimes Unit on May 5, 2026, through a Secretary’s order issued by Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to strengthen public safety in Indian Country.

“Under President Trump’s leadership and Secretary Burgum’s direction, the Department of the Interior is taking decisive action to strengthen public safety and protect vulnerable children in tribal communities,” said Charles Addington, Interior’s Principal Director for Indian Affairs Justice Services and Law Enforcement. “The Bureau of Indian Affairs Predatory Crimes Unit was created to ensure predators targeting Native children are identified, investigated and brought to justice. This arrest demonstrates the unit’s mission in action and highlights the strong partnerships among tribal, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together to keep Indian Country safe.”

In 2020, Barlow was convicted of being in possession of child sex abuse material in Phelps County and is currently under probation and parole supervision through the State of Arkansas.

After an investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Predatory Crimes Unit and the Wyandotte Nation Police Department worked with several law enforcement agencies in northwest Arkansas—including the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Arkansas Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Division—to locate and arrest Barlow.

The investigation also received support from the Eastern Shawnee Tribal Police Department and the police department in Miami, Oklahoma, which provided an investigator and a specially trained electronic detection canine. The canine is trained to locate small or concealed digital devices that may contain evidence.

Barlow was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Carroll County Jail. He faces charges related to online child enticement in both northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs remains committed to protecting tribal communities and taking swift action to address threats to children.