SC Sheriff: Church Hid Sex Offender’s Access to Children Former pastor, wife and academy director among those criminally charged.

Three leaders at a South Carolina church and its affiliated school have been criminally charged after authorities allege they concealed that a registered sex offender was volunteering at the church and interacting with children.

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference Monday, July 20, to explain the investigation and the charges being filed.

Sheriff Carter Weaver said his office interviewed church officials July 12 after Warren Perry’s role at the church and school — and his contact with young children — was brought to law enforcement’s attention.

Perry, a registered sex offender, worked in a custodial role for Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy.

Don Williams is the former pastor of Pawleys Island Community Church, and his wife, Jenny, was a paid church employee. Weaver also described Don Williams as the owner and operator of the church and school. Nikki Howard was director of Pawleys Island Christian Academy.

Don Williams and Howard were charged with obstruction of justice, unlawfully placing children at risk, and conspiracy. Jenny Williams and Perry were charged with obstruction and conspiracy.

Weaver said church officials told him they had taken measures to ensure Perry was not around children, but he said those statements were “not true.”

Perry was arrested for violating his probation. He was charged in 2020 with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and in 2023 received a 10-year sentence, suspended to five years’ probation. Weaver said Perry began working at the church and school in 2020, not long after his arrest.

During the news conference, Weaver displayed photos he said showed Perry in close proximity to children, asking rhetorically, “Who do you think allowed that?”

Before the charges were announced, the church held a meeting July 15 at which Williams read a statement acknowledging that he and other church leaders knew about Perry’s status as a sexual offender.

According to ChurchLeaders, the Pawleys Island Community Church leadership didn’t want to reveal his status to parents and teachers in order to treat him “with dignity” as someone “made in the image of God.”

At the meeting, he continued to defend the church’s safeguards intended to ensure Perry was never alone with children. Perry had allegedly admitted to his probation officer that he had violated his probation.

An email sent July 17 announced that Don and Jenny Williams and Howard, along with several elders, had resigned.

“Over the past several days, our church has found itself in a season of crisis,” said the email. “We recognize the concern, confusion, and hurt that many are experiencing as a result of decisions that have called into question the integrity of our church and its leadership.”

“We want you to know that we see these concerns, we share the weight of this moment, and we are committed to moving forward with humility, honesty, and faith,” the email continued.

Pawleys Island Community Church is a member of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, which issued the following statement: “Child sexual abuse is an abomination, a moral and theological aberration causing incalculable harm to children and families. When connected with a Christian leader or congregation, that abuse also brings reproach upon Christ and his church. While the redeeming grace of God is effectually extended to all people of genuine repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ, temporal consequences remain, including restrictions regarding access to children.”

Tony Wolfe, who leads the South Carolina Baptist Convention, encouraged churches to review their policies and procedures regarding volunteers and sexual abuse awareness training.

Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.

“Every church should be a safe place for children to come learn about the God who loves them, within the fellowship of saints who embody that love responsibly,” Wolfe said. “Correspondingly, every parent should be able to rest assured that church leaders are making wise decisions to facilitate this kind of care and safety for their children.”

Advice for Churches

“The reported allegations and charges involving Pawleys Island Community Church present serious questions about their leadership’s judgement, oversight, and commitment to those entrusted to their care,” Matt Espenshade, who serves on the board of the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP) and is a veteran FBI special agent, told MinistryWatch.

First, Espenshade said, sound leadership must be committed to protecting the vulnerable by implementing comprehensive abuse prevention policies that comply with state and federal laws. “Leadership is not measured by good intentions but by wise stewardship,” he said. ECAP offers many resources to help churches develop such policies.

Second, Espenshade said, prevention policies must be proactive, not reactive. A church’s abuse prevention policies ought to be reviewed by independent entities and applied consistently to everyone, without exception.

Third, prevention policies must be layered and not entrusted to one person. “Appropriate screening, role restrictions, supervision, documentation, facility access controls, and ongoing oversight are all essential components of an effective safeguarding program,” Espenshade said.

Churches are places of restoration, but that work must be accomplished without endangering children by placing convicted offenders in proximity to them — balancing compassion with wisdom, he said.

GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environments) directly addresses how churches should respond when known offenders are part of a congregation, such as at Pawleys Island Community Church:

1. No offender should be allowed to attend services with anyone they have victimized.
2. Church leaders are strongly encouraged to consult with experts to develop a plan.
3. Be aware and on guard for manipulative strategies by offenders who are not repentant.
4. Know your limitations and when you need help to develop a safety plan.

TO OUR READERS: The mission of MinistryWatch is to help Christian donors become more faithful stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them. Do you know of a story that will help us fulfill our mission, or do you want to give us feedback about this or any other story? If so, please email us at info@ministrywatch.com.