Wife of Former Pawleys Island Community Church Pastor Charged With Child Neglect in Georgetown, South Carolina

Ginny Williams, wife of former Pawleys Island Community Church (PICC) pastor Don Williams, was arrested again on a Friday morning on a new charge of unlawful neglect of a child by a legal guardian. She was booked into the Georgetown County jail, according to reports from abcnews4.com and WPDE.

WPDE reported that the case is connected to allegations that church and academy leaders permitted a registered sex offender to volunteer around children. These are allegations, not findings, and the reports do not describe how the neglect charge relates to them. Any charge against Williams is an accusation that has not been proven in court.

Williams appeared before a judge in Georgetown later that day for a bond hearing. Reports differ on the timing of that appearance. abcnews4.com said it occurred later the same day, while one version said she appeared that afternoon. All versions agree on the outcome of the hearing: the judge first set bond at $25,000 and then granted Williams a personal recognizance bond, which allowed her release without paying money.

This is not Williams’s first arrest. abcnews4.com reported that she was earlier arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy and obstruction. One report said that earlier arrest occurred earlier that same week, while the other reports did not give a date for it. The reports do not state the outcome of those earlier charges.

Children placed in the care of church and ministry leaders depend on those leaders to keep them safe, which is why the allegations described above carry weight (Mark 9:42). The reports do not say whether the registered sex offender referenced in the allegations was ever charged, and they do not describe any response from PICC or the academy.

The judge’s decision to grant a personal recognizance bond means Williams was released from custody after the hearing.