Pastor Allowed Convicted Sex Offender Near 300 Kids, Now Faces $25M Lawsuit

A South Carolina church pastor and his wife have resigned after a convicted sex offender was allegedly allowed to work around children at Pawleys Island Community Church in Georgetown County, where a school and daycare serve about 300 students, and parents are now pursuing a lawsuit seeking more than $25 million.

The controversy centres on Warren Spence Perry, 70, who was arrested over a probation violation after complaints that he had access to children on the campus.

The case erupted after a parent alerted the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office on 13 July, setting off a wider investigation that has already brought resignations, public anger and civil claims. Perry had been convicted in 2023 of third degree sexual exploitation of a minor, and probation conditions barred him from contact with children.

Pastor Allowed Sex Offender Claims Rock Church

The Church said on Friday that pastor Don Williams and his wife Ginny had resigned, along with Niki Howard, director of Pawleys Island Christian Academy, while several elders also stepped down.

In a Facebook statement, the church said leadership changes had been made immediately and that it had accepted all three resignations.

Williams had already addressed the congregation at a tense meeting on Wednesday, saying Perry's criminal history had been disclosed to church leadership and that authorities were aware of it too.

He said restrictions were put in place, including a rule that Perry was never to be alone with children, and told members he only learned Perry was violating probation after speaking with the probation officer. The problem for the church is obvious enough, and it is a messy one, because parents say that explanation arrived long after the damage to trust had already been done.

The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services said Perry had been approved to volunteer based on his record and character references supplied by the pastor, but that he was explicitly told not to have direct contact with minors.

The agency said it moved quickly after receiving the sheriff's office complaint and arrested Perry after determining he had given untruthful reports and failed to avoid contact with minors.

How the Pastor Allowed Sex Offender Case Unfolded

The news came after deputies received the 13 July complaint that Perry was working at the church's school and daycare, which reportedly serves roughly 300 children.

According to local news outlets, authorities then spoke with Perry's probation agent, who said Perry had never told them that the church also operated a school and daycare.

A second complaint that same day, from an anonymous woman, alleged Perry worked as a custodian and had unrestricted access to children. The report also said a teacher had raised concerns with administrators about a registered sex offender being around students.

One claim in the report, that staff were told Perry had rehabilitated himself and that questioning him 'was not a Christian thing to do,' will land hard with readers, but it remains an allegation from the complaint rather than a finding of fact.

Investigators later alleged that Perry worked at the preschool for years while under supervision, regularly entered classrooms during school hours and had full access to the campus. That is a serious charge, and it sits at the heart of why this story has detonated so fast.

Lawsuit and Community Fallout

Parents on Friday filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy, seeking to represent families tied to the academy and church activities over the years Perry was allegedly present.

The suit seeks actual and punitive damages in excess of $25 million, and alleges negligent, reckless, wilful and wanton conduct, along with failures to screen, warn and protect families.

The complaint also says the church and school knowingly allowed a sex offender to remain close to children and did not properly inform parents. It further claims the defendants breached duties owed to families who paid fees or made significant contributions to the church.

Those are allegations, not findings, but they are severe enough to explain why the mood on campus turned so sour so quickly.

In a separate statement, the South Carolina Department of Social Services said it was aware of the allegations and was investigating Perry's alleged connection to the organisation.

The agency said it could not discuss details while the matter remained open. That leaves the church, the families and the authorities in a familiar but unenviable position, with more questions than answers and a public already in no mood to wait politely.

The Georgetown County Sheriff's Office has said the investigation is continuing, and the case now sits at the intersection of criminal scrutiny, civil exposure and a congregation trying to work out how this happened in the first place.