Original report
Six men booked in Columbia County after Grovetown child-predator sting
Police said the men traveled to meet someone they believed was a child during a four-day undercover operation.
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Original report
Police said the men traveled to meet someone they believed was a child during a four-day undercover operation.
Columbia County, GA· Sep 24, 2026
Six men were booked in Columbia County during a four-day undercover operation in Grovetown targeting adults accused of trying to meet a child for sex.
Grovetown police said Operation Fourth Take ran from Sept. 24 through Sept. 27 with help from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and other agencies. Investigators communicated with more than 1,400 people online and through mobile apps. More than 150 verified adults allegedly expressed interest in sexual activity after being told they were speaking with a child, and 54 said they wanted to travel to meet, according to police.
Police said about 25 of those people indicated they were willing to go to arranged meeting locations, and six followed through. Two of the six allegedly had firearms when they arrived. Investigators also identified 15 other people for further investigation.
Booked on charges of trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude were Hitesh Chhabria, 42, on Sept. 24; Milliken Watson, 53, on Sept. 25; Christopher Stone, 59, on Sept. 25; Luis Moreno, 27, on Sept. 25; Wenjian Chen, 25, on Sept. 26; and Ryan Hanlon, 37, on Sept. 26.
The six men are from Augusta, Edgefield, Millen and Clarksville, Tennessee. All were booked into the Columbia County jail.
