45 arrests made in Greenville County child predator operation 'Millstone'

Note: This story was updated on Sept. 25, 2019, to reflect that charges against Mark Zwak were dismissed and the charge expunged from his record.

Update: Charges against Mark Dean Zwak that resulted from the “Operation Millstone” sting were dismissed on March 15, 2019, and the charge was expunged from Zwak’s record. The dismissal was not dependent on completion of any pre-trial intervention, according to records.

Original story: The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has charged 45 suspects in a joint operation tied to child sex crimes and human trafficking in the Upstate.

Investigators posed as 14-year-olds in online chats to lure predators to a home where instead of engaging in sex, they were met with handcuffs.

The Sheriff's Office worked with the Greer Police Department, which served as the base of the operation. Other agencies involved included the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Mauldin Police Department, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The operation took place from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 and again from Feb. 14 to 16.

Child predators were the main targets, but the operation also went after prostitutes and johns, some of whom are believed to be tied to human trafficking, Sheriff Will Lewis said during a press conference Thursday.

Out of the 45 arrests, 14 were identified as child predators, 10 were accused of prostitution, 17 were accused of soliciting sex from prostitutes and two were accused of human trafficking. Two more suspects identified in the operation were charged with drug crimes.

In total, 70 warrants were signed based on various charges. Authorities are still seeking 31 individuals in connection to the operation.

“They are still out there. They are still looking for your kids,” Lewis said. "This was to target and identify sex predators preying on the youth of our community.”

Lewis said the circumstances of each case were painful to learn.

In one case, a man carrying a sexually-transmitted disease was specifically looking to transfer his disease to a 14-year-old.

“He wanted to ruin a child’s life,” Lewis said. “He wanted to actually give a child a disease.”

Another case involved a suspect who wanted to cannibalize the victim, Lewis said.

“Depravity doesn’t even describe this,” he said.

Another suspect arrested indicated he had come from Myrtle Beach with the intention of kidnapping a child to take back to the coast to sell her, Lewis said. The sheriff said those charged are believed to be repeat offenders. One suspect had already been charged with the same crime years prior.

“He was arrested for the same sick and twisted acts that he committed five years ago,” Lewis said.

The operation, titled “Millstone,” is a reference to Matthew 18:6 from the Bible: “If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

Some of those charged with prostitution were either victims of human trafficking or traffickers themselves, Lewis said.

He credited the Greenville-based human trafficking awareness organization SWITCH with partnering with law enforcement to help rescue victims out of trafficking. He also urged parents to closely monitor their children’s social media use and to keep a watchful eye on their interactions with others.

“Every single child is a potential victim,” Lewis said. “Do the right thing for your kids and I promise we’ll see less victims.”

Greer Police Chief Matt Hamby said seven investigators from Greer participated in the operation. The decoy house used in the stings was also in the Greer area.

“We contributed as much as we could,” Hamby said. “We’re very happy to have an opportunity to provide that.”

Hamby called human trafficking “a real problem” particularly in the Upstate and South Carolina based on tourism and well-used interstates.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit, which has five investigators, needs to expand to continue fighting child predator cases, Lewis said. He said the results from Millstone would quadruple each month if more resources were devoted.

“We want to eliminate the idea that predators want to come to Greenville,” Lewis said. “Our investigators need help. They need more people.”

He plans to ask the County Council for funding to hire five more investigators to make going after child predators a full-time effort.

“There are tools to cut out this infectious disease of child predators,” Lewis said. “I want to see this disease cut out of our community. We’ve only scratched the surface at this point.”

Below is a list of those charged in Operation Millstone, according to arrest warrants.

• Anatoliy G. Parchuk, of Gaffney, is charged with prostitution.
• Austin James Perrodin, of Greenville, is charged with prostitution.
• Betsy A. Turnbow, of Greenville, is charged with driving under suspension and habitual offender.
• Billy J. Lynch, of Greer, is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor first degree; attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor, or attempt - victim 11 to 14 years of age inclusive second degree; and criminal solicitation of a minor.
• Casey Nicole Brooks, of Pelzer, is charged with prostitution.
• Courtney Michelle Burns, of Simpsonville, is charged with possession with the intent to distribute heroin.
• Craig Francis, of Baytown, Texas, is charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor, or attempt - victim 11 to 14 years of age inclusive second degree; and criminal solicitation of a minor.
• Dajee D. Lamar, of Greenville, is charged with simple possession of marijuana and prostitution.
• Daniel M. Driggers III, of Simpsonville, is charged with prostitution.
• Deandra Lattimore is charged with prostitution.
• Delmorris Sancheze Cain, of Caycee, is charged with attempted unlawful dissemination of obscene material to a person under 18 years of age and two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor.
• Donald Anthony Eaton, of Greenville, is charged with attempted criminal sexual conduct with minor victim 11 to 14 years of age inclusive second degree; criminal solicitation of a minor; and failing to stop for a blue light, no injury or death - 1st offense.
• Essam Y.F. Botross, of Greer, is charged with prostitution.
• Ezekiel John Andrukitis, of Spartanburg, is charged with two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor.
• Halie House is charged with prostitution.
• Heath Edward McGowan, of Anderson, is charged with prostitution.
• Herbert Roy George, of Tucker, Georgia, is charged with prostitution.
• Ian Mykael Ray is charged with criminal solicitation of a minor; attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor - victim 11 to 14 years of age inclusive - second degree; and attempted contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
• Jaloliddin Polat Siddik, of North Highlands, California, is charged with prostitution.
• Jeffery (Jeff) Nathaniel Hall, of Spartanburg, is charged with prostitution.
• John Robert Dawson IV, of Greer, is charged with prostitution.
• John R. Moir II, of Simpsonville, is charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree.
• Jose Rodolfo Morales Ruiz, of Greer, is charged with prostitution and no South Carolina driver’s license.
• Joshua Quinn Smith, of Belton, is charged with prostitution.
• Justin T. Bensing, of Myrtle Beach, is charged with two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor.
• Lanedra Michelle Sullivan, of Greenville, is charged with possession of marijuana and prostitution.
• Laquayla C. Calwile, of Piedmont, is charged with prostitution.
• Leon William Anderson III, of Inman, is charged with trafficking in persons, recruiting, enticing, soliciting, harboring, transporting, or attempts – first offense.
• Levi Chambers is charged with prostitution and no South Carolina driver's license.
• Mark Zwak is charged with prostitution.
• Melody Natasha Renee Pyles, of Gray Court, is charged with prostitution.
• Mercedes B. Hagood is charged with prostitution.
• Patrick Mckenzie Donnald, of Easley, is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree; criminal solicitation of a minor; attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor, or attempt - victim 11 to 14 years of age; and attempt to disseminate obscene or unlawful material to a person under 18. 
• Paul Allen Ledane, of Greenville, is charged with criminal solicitation of a minor and two counts of attempt to disseminate obscene or unlawful material to a person under 18.
• Quavil S. Meredith, of Spartanburg, is charged with prostitution.
• Richard Mark Nolff, of Wellford, is charged with criminal solicitation of a minor; two counts of attempt to disseminate obscene or unlawful material to a person under 18; and criminal sexual conduct with minor, or attempt - victim 11 to 14 years of age inclusive – second degree.
• Robert Beverly Buckingham, of Taylors, is charged with prostitution.
• Rodger Allen Bollinger is charged with prostitution.
• Samantha Ann Flayhart, of Inman, is charged with trafficking in persons, recruiting, enticing, soliciting, harboring, transportation, or attempts - first offense.
• Tamara Dale Bonds, of Travelers Rest, is charged with possession of other controlled substance in schedule I to V - first offense; and possession of less than one gram of meth. or cocaine base, first offense.
• Thomas Buchanan Carr III, of Norris, is charged with two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor; attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree; and attempt to disseminate obscene or unlawful material to a person under 18.
• Tiffany Suzanne Smith is charged with possession of less than one gram of meth. or cocaine base, 1st offense.
• Timothy G. Adams, of Taylors, is charged with criminal solicitation of a minor; criminal sexual conduct with a minor, or attempt - victim 11 to 14 years of age inclusive second degree; and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree.
• Tina M. Smith, of Greenville, is charged with prostitution and simple possession of marijuana.
• Wayne Allan Elwert, of Greenville, is charged with attempted unlawful to disseminate obscene material to a person under 18 years of age and criminal solicitation of a minor.
• William Harlan Wilkinson, of Greenville, is charged with prostitution.