GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — A lawsuit has been filed against the Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy following allegations that registered sex offender Warren Spence Perry was allowed to volunteer around children for years.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Georgetown County Common Pleas Court, seeks to represent parents and guardians whose children attended the church’s school or participated in church activities over the past six years while Perry was allegedly present.
The complaint says that the church and school were negligent in allowing Perry, a known registered sex offender, to supervise or oversee activities involving children.
The lawsuit also claims the defendants failed to properly screen him, failed to inform parents and guardians of his presence and allowed him access to children despite an obligation to protect them.
The complaint further alleges parents paid tuition or made financial contributions to the church and suffered emotional distress after learning Perry had contact with children. The lawsuit seeks more than $25 million in actual and punitive damages on claims including negligent hiring and breach of fiduciary duty.
The lawsuit comes after the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) charged Perry with violating the terms of his probation after investigators said he volunteered at Pawleys Island Community Church while prohibited from being around children.
Authorities later said Perry never disclosed to probation officers that the church also operated Pawleys Island Christian Academy. Investigators said that he had access to areas where children were present, including the church nursery, daycare and school. Perry was previously convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor and is a registered sex offender.
The allegations made in the lawsuit have not been proven in court, and the defendants have not yet filed a response.
ABC15 has reached out to the Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy for comment and has not yet received a response.
