By Sandy . . . What is going on at Pawleys Island Baptist Church and school in South Carolina? For anyone who follows the topics of interest to our community, it would have been impossible to miss the headlines and videos starting the week of July 13, 2026, and intensifying every day for, as of this writing, almost two weeks.

A teacher at the school checked the South Carolina sex offender registry and recognized the church and school custodian as a registered sex offender. Another teacher reported to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Department that Warren Perry, the registrant in question, was working in a children’s school; the sheriff’s department investigated, verified that Mr. Perry was in violation of his probation conditions, and subsequently arrested him on July 14. Whether his status was that of volunteer or of employee is unclear.

Mr. Perry had started volunteering/working at the church and school in

2021, possibly as early as 2020, which was the same year he committed the crime for which he was charged and convicted in 2023. He was convicted of one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. In South Carolina, this offense translates to possessing or viewing child pornography, now called CSAM—child sexual abuse material. Generally. each count equals one picture or image. In South Carolina law, a minor is defined as anyone under 18 years of age.

Perry was on probation; his conditions specified that he was not allowed to be in the proximity of children, and he knew it. He had probation’s permission to be at the church, but “Triple P”—Parole, Probation, Pardon—did not know about the school—almost without doubt a deliberate deceit on Mr. Perry’s part.

Arguably, what is with a great deal of doubt is that the church’s minister, Pastor Don Williams, his wife Ginny, and former school director Jennifer Howard knew about and colluded with the deception. This is the contention of Sheriff Carter Weaver and Georgetown County solicitor Jimmy Richardson when they arrested them on the 20^th, along with Perry, and charged them with a barrage of offenses; it is also the contention of the multiple civil suits brought in the case.

Pastor Williams, his wife, and the school director resigned July 17.

The lawsuits started immediately, with the first, filed on the 17^th, being a class action suit asking for 25 million dollars. Three more were filed on the 21^st. They claim negligence, collusion, putting children at risk, and at least one claims a child was molested by Perry in 2022. There almost seems to be a domino effect in play.

This is not uncommon when a celebrity or person in a high position is arrested for a sexual crime; new victims come forth daily. When victims are adults, this is understandable. A lone victim could be reluctant to make such a charge against a movie star, a state senator, or even a local popular figure, but once someone else has had the courage to do so, other victims see that they are not alone. This is akin to what created the “me too” movement.

It is difficult however, is it not, to apply this to the molestation of children? If your child was the victim of such an assault, would you wait for others to come forward before you did? If a child was molested at the school in 2022 by Perry, why is this not part of the criminal charges against Perry? Why is it brought up only as the basis of a civil suit?

So what is going on at Pawley Island’s Baptist Church? It is still very much of an active investigation, but several factors are indisputable:

• Perry began volunteering or working around the church and school in 2020 or 2021.
• In 2023 he pled guilty to a sexual crime committed in 2020; he received a sentence of probation and was placed on the sex offender registry.
• The conditions of his probation expressly forbade his being in proximity of children.
• He did not tell his probation officer that the church included a day-school for pre-k and kindergarten age children.

What does this mean for our advocacy community? Whenever a registrant reoffends or violates the terms of probation, especially when it becomes a high-profile case, the risk is increased for negative consequences. Some one in our legal community opines that whatever progress registrants have made in gaining acceptance in in-person faith communities has been, not only wiped out, but set back twenty years due to this one situation.

Additionally, many bad bills have been proposed and quickly passed in the wake of circumstances such as this one. South Carolina advocates need to be prepared for proposed bad legislation related to this specific case come January 2027.

The post What is going on at Pawleys Island church? first appeared on NARSOL.

By Sandy . . . .Even before Hurricane Helene entered the Gulf of Mexico, plans for emergency sheltering for those fleeing flood areas were well underway, the plans of both those assuring that the shelters were up and running and those who would be doing the fleeing.

With time now measured in hours rather than days, preparations have become more focused. Imagine the uneasiness, even fear that would be felt by those involved, the questions they would have, and the concerns for family members and young children.

Imagine that time, fear, and stress being doubled, tripled, or quadrupled in families with a member listed on a state sexual offender registry. What would happen? Would the family be separated or turned away if they were determined to stay together?

Those are the questions and the feelings being experienced by many, even as I am typing this. With every passing minute, the expectation of a direct hit grows, aimed directly at Florida, with both torrential rains and extreme winds expected. Florida’s law governing this situation is long and thorough:

Florida: § 685.101. Temporary emergency shelters; sexual predators and offenders notification requirements.  

Any person who is required by Florida law to register as a sexual predator or sexual offender and who utilizes or intends to utilize a temporary shelter provided by any public or private entity and established as a result of any emergency or incident or threatened emergency or incident shall, immediately upon entering the shelter, notify the individual or individuals operating the shelter that he or she is a registered sexual predator or sexual offender. The sexual predator or sexual offender shall be assigned to a temporary shelter specifically designated for use by sexual predators and sexual offenders.

The Sheriff may designate a public building or a jail or other correctional facility as a temporary shelter to be utilized by sexual predators and sexual offenders.

Failure of a sexual predator or sexual offender to make notification as required in Section (b) shall constitute a Class D offense.

When a member of the Florida Action Committee was asked what this translated to in real practice, she said, “Hurricanes are county by county in how they deal with our registered population. We’ve made many improvements over the years. We do get cooperation from probation, and if you’re not on paper, you go where you’ll be safe and report as soon as possible when it’s safe to do so. Some counties have shelters that allow them to go in, while others do not. It’s a web, as is everything else.”

Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina are also expected to experience excessive rain and flooding in some areas. None of these states appear to have specific provisions in state law regarding registrants in weather-emergency shelters.

This is unfortunate as the control is left in the hands of local sheriffs, which creates a wide disparity of policies. Most officials are reluctant to be seen as callous enough to just let people die, and they provide alternate accommodations, often jails or buildings that house jails. There have actually been cases of registrants being arrested for being present on school property that was being used as an emergency shelter.

Contacts in Georgia were determining how the sheriffs would handle the situation in the various counties that would be affected. Registrants who are under community supervision could experience the most difficulty.

North Carolina RSOL’s executive director explained their situation this way: “North Carolina law clearly states that individuals on the registry are prohibited from being on or near schools (both public and private), or any location primarily designated for the use, care, or supervision of minors. In a state of emergency, shelters are often set up in schools, and any registrant who seeks refuge there would be in violation of the law, subjecting them to arrest. Sheriffs have consistently upheld this stance and are supported by the state’s attorney general.”

The situation in Alabama and South Carolina is much the same. When shelter apart from the general population is required for registrants—often in the county jail facilities—it means separating men from their families, women from their husbands and children.

Other states with similar policies may be involved in situations during Helene that require evacuating primary residences, and other states WILL find themselves facing this from other hurricanes. It is time this blatant and agonizing discrimination against our registered citizens ceased.

When safety is threatened, when families are driven from their homes, they need to be allowed emergency shelter just like every other citizen, and they need to be allowed to stay together as families.

People who live registered on a sexual offender registry are ostracized, separated, and discriminated against in much of their lives. Facing emergency situations that threaten their homes, their lives, and the safety of their families must not be one of those times.

The post Stop discrimination against registrants in emergency situations first appeared on NARSOL.