TEXARKANA, Ark-A Hope, Ark., man was sentenced to a decade in prison last month by a federal judge in Texarkana for dealing large quantities of methamphetamine in Hempstead County.

Johnny Eduardo Navarrete, 33, appeared before U.S. District Judge Susan O. Hickey in mid-December and received a 10-year federal prison term for distribution of methamphetamine. He had pleaded guilty in June.

Navarrete was caught in a joint operation by the FBI and Hempstead County Sheriff's Office and recorded on video surveillance conducting transactions for the sale of as much as a half-pound of meth in the latter half of 2022, according to court records. Navarrete made his deals for meth from a house on Pritchard Street in Hope, Ark., where he lived with his spouse and young children, according to court records.

Navarrete was jailed on state charges including six counts of endangering the welfare of several minors in March 2023. According to records in that case, Navarrete was found liable for introducing methamphetamine into the bodies of young children. In the state court case, Navarrete was also charged with domestic battery for the physical abuse of a child under the age of 4 years.

Federal court records indicate that Navarrete has multiple young children who were below the age of five at the time of his March 2023 arrest.

Navarrete pleaded guilty to all eight charges in Hempstead County Circuit Court in November 2023 and received a total term of 20 years, court records show. It is expected that Navarrete will begin serving his time in state prison after his federal prison sentence has been served.

Offenders serving federal prison sentences are not eligible for parole, however, they may earn up to 54 days credit per year for good behavior.