Magistrate Dismisses Charges Against Four in Pawleys Island Church Case

A magistrate dismissed charges against four defendants in the Pawleys Island Community Church case after a November 6 preliminary hearing in Georgetown County, WBTW reported, citing confirmation from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. The ruling followed an investigation into registered sex offender Warren Perry’s volunteer work on the church campus and at its affiliated school, Pawleys Island Christian Academy.

The four former church and academy leaders were Don Williams, the former senior pastor; his wife, Ginny Williams, the former guest services director; Jennifer “Niki” Howard, the former academy director; and Michael Fields, the former director of operations and missions. Reporting by The Sun News identified those four as the church leaders whose charges were dropped.

Robert Kittle, communications director for the Attorney General’s Office, told WBTW that the magistrate found insufficient probable cause. He emphasized that the magistrate made the decision, rather than the Attorney General’s Office deciding to drop the prosecution. This was a preliminary-hearing ruling, not a jury verdict following a trial.

How the Investigation Began

The underlying concern was Perry’s access to a campus where children attended school. WMBF reported in July that Perry had been convicted in 2023 of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, an offense involving possession of child sexual abuse material, and was on probation. That earlier conviction is separate from the charges brought in the church investigation.

According to documents described in WMBF’s September 30 account, a parent contacted the Sheriff’s Office on July 13 about Perry’s work at the academy. Deputies notified the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. An agency officer arrested Perry the next day on allegations that he had given untruthful reports to his supervising agent and failed to avoid contact with minors.

At a July 20 news conference, Sheriff Carter Weaver announced charges arising from the church investigation. The allegations included obstruction of justice, criminal conspiracy and unlawfully placing a child at risk. Investigators accused church and academy leaders of permitting Perry’s work around children and misleading investigators about the arrangement. Those accusations were allegations, not findings of guilt.

The scope of the case later grew to include Fields. The Sheriff’s Office announced his arrest on July 29 on a charge of unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing a child harm, according to WBTW’s report that day. His duties included campus and student security.

The academy was a ministry of Pawleys Island Community Church. In August, church leadership announced that it would end that ministry, as WMBF reported on August 11. The closure affected the school; it did not mean the church itself had closed.

The Prosecution and November Hearing

By September, the Attorney General’s Office had taken over the prosecution after a conflict-of-interest concern raised by Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson. WMBF reported that an attorney who previously represented Perry had joined Richardson’s office, prompting his request for another prosecuting authority. The transfer explains the state office’s involvement in the November hearing.

Defense attorney Erin Bailey, who represents Howard, told WBTW that evidence discussed at the hearing showed probation officials had approved Perry’s church volunteer work under restrictions. Bailey said the arrangement included adult functions only, no being alone with children and limits on contact with them.

WMBF also reviewed hearing video posted by GAB News. It reported that the magistrate found the required legal elements were not met and said the church had cooperated with investigators without withholding information when people were questioned.

Weaver stood behind the investigation after the dismissals. His statement, reported by WMBF, defended the work of county investigators and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and sought an explanation of the ruling from the Attorney General’s Office.

Separate Probation and Civil Cases

The dismissals also need to be distinguished from Perry’s separate probation proceeding. Bailey told WMBF on November 6 that a judge had heard that matter on October 29 and taken it under advisement. That was its reported status on November 6; the dismissal of charges against the four church and academy leaders does not establish that the probation matter ended.

Separate civil litigation also remained unresolved in WMBF’s November 6 report. Parents have alleged failures in Perry’s supervision, while the probation agency contests liability. The criminal preliminary-hearing ruling did not decide those civil claims.

What the Ruling Means

South Carolina’s Rule 2 explains the limited purpose of a preliminary hearing: deciding whether sufficient evidence supports sending a charge forward. The rule says a discharge for lack of probable cause does not prevent the state from pursuing another prosecution for the same offense. It does not, by itself, say whether prosecutors will take that step in this case.