Leaders of a South Carolina church have been arrested, and their congregation is furious after it was discovered they’d allowed a convicted child sex predator to work with their children.
As reported by NY Post, leaders at Pawleys Island Community Church have openly admitted they were fully aware that 70-year-old Warren Spence Perry had been convicted of a sex crime involving a minor just three years before they allowed him to volunteer around children at the church school. Perry was even given a specific parole condition requiring him to avoid being in proximity to children.
Despite all this, the church leaders apparently decided that Perry was suitable to volunteer at their church school, arguing that he’d been following the conditions of his parole and that he’d be under “strict supervision” while working as a custodian.
“This place needs to be burned down!”
Parents within the congregation involved in youth activities were not informed about Perry’s convictions or parole requirements, but found out when an anonymous tipster told local cops that he was working with children. Indeed, Perry was actually working at Pawleys Island Christian Academy when cops arrived to book him on July 14.
Eliza Perez, a former worker at the school, described her horror when she found out about Perry after she happened to spot his name on a list of local offenders on Facebook:
My stomach dropped, and I immediately screenshot it, send it to two of my coworkers, and I’m like, this can’t be real, right? I got on the phone, and I immediately called my boss, which is my pastor’s wife. And her response to me was, ‘I know. We know.’”
Pastor Don Williams then called a meeting of the furious parents, explaining to them that Perry wasn’t permitted to be alone with their kids and that, as far as he knew, there hadn’t yet been any incidents of him acting inappropriately with them. This did not go down well.
As reported by the Post, the parents began screaming at him. One apparently yelled, “Our kids are not a lottery ticket!” and another, “This place needs to be burned down!”
Soon after, Pastor Williams, his wife Ginny, and Academy director Niki Howard sent an email out saying they’d all be stepping down from their positions. That was soon followed by criminal charges, with all three being hit with obstruction of justice charges and criminal conspiracy by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Department. As Sheriff Carter Weaver said:
“When people purposely use their position to go around those safeguards… sometimes it’s hard to detect but believe you will be got. You will be found.”
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services have confirmed they knew Perry was volunteering at the church, but say they had no idea he was working at a school.
The aggrieved parents have also launched a $25 million class action lawsuit against the church and school.
Published: Jul 21, 2026 10:34 am