32-year-old White County man arrested for child molestation, GBI says

WHITE COUNTY, Ga. - White County man was arrested Sunday on multiple charges related to child molestation and sexual exploitation of children, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Christopher Tench, 32, was charged with four counts of child molestation and six counts of sexual exploitation of children, the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit said. Tench was arrested following an investigation that began after the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office flagged his potential involvement in the online possession and production of child sexual abuse material.

Authorities executed a search warrant at Tench’s White County home, where he was taken into custody. The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, White County Sheriff’s Office, and GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office assisted with the investigation and arrest. Tench was later booked into the White County Jail.

This arrest is part of an ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which operates within the GBI’s CEACC Unit. The task force works to identify individuals involved in the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material online. The ICAC Program, established by the U.S. Department of Justice, was designed in response to the rise in online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with minors.

Anyone with information on other child exploitation cases is encouraged to contact the GBI’s Child Exploitation Unit at 404-270-8870 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at the GBI website, or through the "See Something, Send Something" mobile app.