GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Outrage over a convicted sex offender who volunteered near children at a Pawleys Island area church has led to a $25 million lawsuit filed in Georgetown County.
A John Doe and a Jane Doe, on behalf of their children and on behalf of others in a similar situation, filed the lawsuit Friday against Pawleys Island Christian Academy and Pawleys Island Community Church.
The lawsuit concerns 70-year-old Warren Perry of Murrells Inlet, who the documents state volunteered for six years at Pawleys Island Community Church, which also runs an elementary school, preschool, and nursery. Three of those years, Perry was a convicted sex offender.
John and Jane Doe accused the church and the school of knowingly hiring a registered sex offender, who they also described as an alcoholic, allowing him to supervise children and be in close physical proximity to them.
They claim the church and school failed to inform parents that Perry was a convicted sex offender, and that he touched children on multiple occasions, but the full extent is potentially unknown due to the children’s ages and lack of supervision.
The lawsuit states the church and school had a duty to screen people with access to children and failed to do so.
When confronted by parents, the church and school defended Perry and used biblical quotes to justify the situation, according to the lawsuit.
WMBF News has reached out to Senior Pastor Don Williams for comment on the lawsuit.
However, the same day the lawsuit was filed, Don Williams and his wife, Ginny Williams, resigned, along with other church leaders.
At a community meeting Tuesday, Williams acknowledged he and other church leaders knew about Perry’s conviction but said the church believed Perry was complying with his probation conditions.
John and Jane Doe are seeking more than $25 million in actual and punitive damages on each of the two claims.
The current lawsuit is not the first time the church has faced accusations of putting youth in danger. A 2005 lawsuit accused the church and Williams of negligence involving a minor.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Perry’s Arrest
Under South Carolina law, a sex offender cannot be in proximity to children or work at a location where children are present without prior approval from their probation officer.
On Monday, deputies with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a concerned parent about Perry.
An incident report shows Perry had previously disclosed to authorities that he was a volunteer at the church, but never advised that the church also has a school.
The concerned parent further stated that Perry was working as a custodian in the school.
Because the South Carolina Sex Offender Registry does not have a designated field for volunteer positions, Perry’s volunteer information was entered into Offender Watch, where it is publicly viewable as a volunteer position at the church.
Documents show that when deputies contacted South Carolina Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, an agent said Perry had also never mentioned the school.
The agent stated that she had scheduled Perry to report to her office on Tuesday and would tell him he could no longer have any ties to the church.
In a second complaint, a woman said her niece, who is employed as a teacher at the school, confronted the administration regarding Perry’s employment.
According to the incident report, when the teacher expressed her concerns, the administration responded that Perry had rehabilitated himself and that judging him was “not a Christian thing to do.”
The complainant further stated that, following this confrontation, the teacher was essentially forced out of her position at the school.
The teacher reportedly said students frequently interacted with Perry by drawing pictures for him and giving him gifts.
The complainant also provided a screenshot of an email reportedly distributed by the administration of Pawleys Island Christian Academy, advertising an auction in which one child could spend a workday assisting the school’s two custodians, one of whom was Perry.
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services approved Perry to work at the church “based on a record free from prior convictions and introduction of character witness statements provided by the pastor of Pawleys Island Community Church.”
Perry was explicitly instructed during regular agent supervision meetings not to engage in direct contact with minors while performing his volunteer duties, the agency said.
After the complaint to the sheriff’s office, the agency investigated and arrested Perry for giving his agent untruthful reports and not refraining from contact with minors.
Perry was released on $50,000 bond Wednesday. He will still be required to appear in court, where a judge will determine the outcome of the violation.
Pastor, wife named as power of attorney
WMBF has also uncovered that in April 2026, Perry named Ginny Williams, wife of now-former Pawleys Island Community Church pastor Donald Williams, his Power of Attorney. Donald Williams is named the successor POA if Ginny Williams is unable or unwilling to act.
The document grants Williams the right to perform many legal and business activities on Perry’s behalf, including receiving checks, suing for money, and leasing real property. The document also states neither agent is required to post any bond on Perry’s behalf.
WMBF reporter Sydney Ryan tried to reach the Williams family at their home in Pawleys Island, but no one answered the door.
At Pawleys Island Community Church, a man wearing a security badge told Ryan that Donald Williams was not in the building and that he did not know where Williams was or how to contact him.
Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said Thursday that investigators are interviewing parents, teachers, and leaders connected to the church and its school, and that anyone found to have violated the law in connection with Perry would be charged.
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