GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 37-year-old Hephzibah man stationed at Fort Gordon as a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer has been arrested as part of an ongoing undercover child predator investigation in the CSRA.
Norman Laureano Miranda was arrested Wednesday on Fort Gordon by Grovetown Police Department investigators with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Investigators say Miranda’s arrest stems from “Operation Fourth Take,” a joint multi-agency sting launched alongside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
According to authorities, Miranda repeatedly contacted an undercover operative he believed to be a child over the course of several days. Police said he described sexual interactions in graphic detail and attempted to arrange an in-person meeting, continuing explicit communications even after being told multiple times he was speaking with a child.
Miranda faces charges of:
- Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention
- Grooming of a Minor for Sexual Offense or Trafficking for Sexual Servitude
He was booked into the Columbia County Detention Center.
Miranda is the seventh person arrested in connection with Operation Fourth Take. Authorities previously announced charges against six men after undercover agents engaged with more than 1,400 individuals online, resulting in over 150 adults who expressed a desire to meet minors for sexual activity.
Grovetown police stated that additional arrests are expected as investigators continue reviewing cases connected to the operation.
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