SC Southern Baptist Youth Pastor Arrested for Voyeurism
Daniel Mayfield was caught taping a woman in her shower
The youth minister at a Southern Baptist church in upstate South Carolina was arrested for voyeurism and subsequently fired from the church staff last week. He was released from the Greenville County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.
Daniel Kellan Mayfield, 35, had served as the First Baptist Church Gowensville student and youth pastor for seven years prior to his termination.
He has also worked for Compassion International, Student Life, and Child Evangelism Fellowship, according to his LinkedIn profile, though Compassion told MinistryWatch that “Mr. Mayfield has never been directly employed by Compassion International. He was employed by a company that Compassion contracted for marketing events, from 2013-2014. He has also served as a volunteer at some Compassion marketing events until 2016. Though he applied for a position with Compassion, he was never hired.”
According to the incident report, Mayfield was seen early in the morning of Saturday, May 27, outside the bathroom window by the victim and her sister. The victim noticed a light shining outside the window while she was showering at her mother’s home. She stepped outside to investigate and saw Mayfield in the yard.
Additionally, the victim’s sister arrived in her car and her headlights illuminated Mayfield fleeing from the scene.
Both women confronted him and reported that he admitted to filming the victim while she was showering.
When authorities arrived, Mayfield at first denied he’d been filming the victim, but then reportedly admitted it when footage was found on his phone.
First Baptist Church Gowensville issued a statement to ChurchLeaders acknowledging the incident and resulting termination of Mayfield. They have referred other questions related to the investigation to law enforcement.
“We remain dedicated to providing a safe worship environment and will be ever vigilant in protecting all persons involved in any of our events,” the church statement said.
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According to South Carolina law, voyeurism is defined as a crime when “for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire of any person, he or she knowingly views, photographs, audio records, video records, produces, or creates a digital electronic file, or films another person, without that person’s knowledge and consent, while the person is in a place where he or she would have a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
The first offense is a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine or up to three years in prison. The crime is elevated to a felony upon subsequent offenses.
The Southern Baptist Convention has been under increased scrutiny since a 2022 report by Guidepost Solutions showed the denomination had a track record of mistreating abuse victims, downplaying abuse reports, and denying responsibility.
It has announced it will create a database to track the names of pastors and other denominational workers who have been credibly accused of abuse.
This story has been updated to include a statement from Compassion International.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why does MinistryWatch report on sex crimes? These stories are tough to read and sometimes even tougher to report, but we think they are vital to our mission to bring transparency, accountability, and credibility to the evangelical church. To read more about why and how we report these stories, read “Why MinistryWatch Reports On Sex Crimes.” You can find that story here.
Main photo: Daniel Mayfield / Courtesy of Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office
