A 56-year-old Hephzibah man is facing charges after deputies say he repeatedly contacted someone he believed to be a child, sent the person explicit photos of himself, and tried to set up an in-person meeting. William Gene Burnett was arrested Monday morning in Augusta by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office as part of the ongoing fallout from Operation Fourth Take, a joint Grovetown Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation sting targeting suspected child predators across the CSRA.
Burnett is accused of repeatedly inappropriately contacting what he believed to be a child over the course of several days, according to WJBF. Deputies say he described sexual interactions he wanted to have with the person he believed to be a child, and officials say he kept communicating with the person despite being told numerous times that the person was a child. He also allegedly attempted to arrange an in-person meetup, according to WRDW.
Burnett is being charged with Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention under OCGA 16-12-100.2(D)(1), per the same WJBF report. The Richmond County Sheriff's Office Crime Suppression Team transported him to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, where he will remain until he is transferred to the Columbia County Detention Center.
A Sprawling Sting Across the CSRA
Burnett's arrest traces back to Operation Fourth Take, which the Grovetown Police Department has described as a continuing investigation. The sting ran from Sept. 24 through Sept. 27 and brought undercover agents and investigators into contact with more than 1,400 people via the internet and cellular apps, the station's report notes.
Of those contacts, more than 150 verified adults expressed a desire to meet for sexual activity, and 54 people said they wished to travel to meet up for sex even after being told multiple times they were talking to someone who identified as a child — several allegedly offered money in exchange. Six people ultimately followed through on plans to meet in person and were arrested during the operation, according to the same account. None of those six were from Grovetown, and two came from South Carolina.
More Arrests Tied to the Same Operation
Investigators say roughly 15 additional people have been identified for further investigation, and additional charges could follow. The Grovetown Police Department said more arrests as a result of Operation Fourth Take will be forthcoming.
Burnett is not the only Hephzibah resident swept up in the investigation. On Sept. 30, Grovetown investigators assisted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service arrested 37-year-old Norman Laureano Miranda, also of Hephzibah, who was taken into custody at Fort Gordon, where he was stationed as a U.S. Navy chief petty officer. Miranda was charged with Computer or Electronic Pornography and Exploitation Prevention, along with Grooming of a Minor for Sexual Offense or Trafficking for Sexual Servitude.
The operation involved the Grovetown Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and other assisting agencies, reflecting a coordinated regional effort to identify suspects contacting what they believed were children online. As the investigation continues, authorities have indicated the case against Burnett and others connected to Operation Fourth Take remains active.
