Church in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Under Investigation After Convicted Sex Offender Volunteered

A Pawleys Island church and its affiliated school are facing criminal charges and public scrutiny after a registered sex offender was reported to have volunteered on the church campus. According to a Post and Courier report dated July 14, 2025, Warren Perry, 70, of Murrells Inlet, was charged with a probation violation on July 14 and released after posting a $50,000 bond. The Post and Courier reported that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed Perry’s previous conviction for third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. A WPDE report gave his full name as Warren Spence Perry and said he was convicted in 2023. No other report in this set gives that year.

Perry had been volunteering at Pawleys Island Community Church, which operates Pawleys Island Christian Academy. The school serves children from 6 weeks old through kindergarten. The Post and Courier reported that a concerned father contacted the sheriff’s office on July 13 to say Perry was working as a custodian in the school and daycare area. WPDE reported that a concerned parent made a similar report to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office on the same date. WPDE also reported an anonymous complaint alleging that Perry had unrestricted access to children at the academy. That complaint is unverified in the reporting provided.

The South Carolina Baptist Convention issued a statement addressing the situation at the church and its affiliated academy, according to ChurchLeaders.com. That outlet described Perry as a custodian and volunteer at both the church and the academy who had been allowed to interact with children. It also reported that Perry was arrested on July 14 for violating his probation. ChurchLeaders.com further reported that former pastor Don Williams, his wife Ginny, former Pawleys Island Christian Academy director Niki Howard, and several church elders were aware of Perry’s criminal background. This claim comes from that report and has not been confirmed in the other sources provided.

WPDE reported that the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office expanded its investigation of the church and its school, which resulted in new charges against four church leaders. According to that report, former pastor Don Williams, his wife Ginny Williams, and academy director Niki Howard have been charged with criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The same report describes these charges as part of an ongoing investigation into Warren Perry. The report’s headline asked how the situation could have happened, and it described a community struggling with the fallout.