By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 31, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Devin Cyrus Carroll, a 23-year-old former Baptist pastor, was arrested in August 2026 for allegedly embezzling nearly $58,000 from Happy Home Baptist Church in Nakina, North Carolina. Carroll, a resident of Conway, South Carolina, is facing 16 felony counts related to the alleged misappropriation of funds, with the theft reportedly occurring on or around February 27, 2024.
The charges include seven counts totaling nearly $43,000, allegedly used for payments on outstanding loans with Advance America, a provider of payday loans and short-term credit products. Additional allegations involve expenditures on restaurant orders, horseback riding, a water park trip, veterinary expenses for his pet dog, cellphone bills, and personal legal expenses.
Carroll was appointed a public defender for his initial court appearance and was held on a $75,000 secured bond. His next court date is scheduled for September 17. The church, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, and the Dock Missionary Baptist Association, has been directly impacted by these allegations.
In a separate case from July 2025, Carroll was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 16. Authorities alleged that Carroll had inappropriately touched a 13-year-old student while serving as an in-school suspension aide at Conway Middle School. The incident reportedly occurred in late May 2025, after Carroll had submitted his resignation, effective June 7, 2025.
A former student of Conway Middle School expressed concerns about Carroll’s behavior, describing him as “very flirtatious” with her classmates. This sentiment reflects the broader community’s awareness of the allegations.
The unfolding of these events underscores the importance of accountability and justice within faith communities, echoing Micah 6:8, which calls for justice, mercy, and walking humbly with God. As these legal proceedings continue, the community seeks healing and restoration, mindful of the biblical call to care for victims and uphold truth.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
