Crimes Against Children

Records Show SC Christian Academy Repeatedly Ignored Warnings to Perform Criminal Background Checks on Employees

Troy S.

July 21, 2026
Updated: July 21, 2026
1:13 am

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PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (BFMG) — State child care regulators repeatedly reprimanded Pawleys Island Christian Academy for serious licensing violations in the two years leading up to the arrest of a convicted sex offender who was working around children on the church-run campus, newly obtained records show.

Inspection reports from the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS), which licenses Pawleys Island Christian Academy, indicate the center received multiple “high” severity alerts tied to staffing, background checks and documentation requirements in 2024 and 2026.

On Feb. 13, 2024, DSS inspectors visited the academy and found the center did not have adequate staff-to-child ratios and was missing required health assessments for two staff members. The inspection also noted that two “unqualified caregivers” were working without completed SLED background check clearances and that central registry documentation had not been printed and placed in their personnel files, in violation of state child care regulations.

A follow-up visit on March 27, 2024, at 10:45 a.m. found the academy had corrected the staffing and health-assessment issues but still had not placed the central registry paperwork into staff files as required.

DSS received a complaint and returned on March 4, 2026, at 9:45 a.m. and again reprimanded the center for employing two staff members who did not have background checks completed prior to hire, issuing another high-severity alert and directing administrators to ensure all staff are properly screened before working with children.

At a Monday news conference, Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said investigators have determined that Warren Spencer Perry, a registered sex offender, began working in a maintenance and custodial role at Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy shortly after he was first charged with sexual exploitation of a minor in August 2020.

Perry was convicted in November 2023 of one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor for a crime committed in 2020, receiving a 10-year sentence suspended to five years of probation and a court order prohibiting him from having contact with minors. Despite those restrictions, Weaver said Perry continued volunteering on the church and school campus “seven days a week,” with investigators collecting photographs and witness statements showing him in close proximity to children at the academy.

Authorities allege former pastor Don Williams, his wife Ginny Williams and academy director Jennifer Nicole “Niki” Howard all knew Perry was on the sex offender registry and took steps to conceal his status from parents, teachers and church members.

According to arrest warrants, Howard “had intimate knowledge of the sex offender’s status and took steps to ensure this information would not be disclosed,” including thwarting reporting obligations under Title 63 of the South Carolina Code of Laws. Weaver said the three leaders and Perry “colluded to knowingly and willfully placing our children in harm’s way,” pointing to evidence gathered through search warrants, sworn statements and digital records seized from the church and academy.

All four have been arrested and are in the custody of the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office. Williams is charged with obstruction of justice, unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing harm, and criminal conspiracy; Ginny Williams is charged with criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice; Howard faces charges including unlawfully placing a child at risk or willfully abandoning the child, criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice; and Perry is charged with criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice in addition to his probation violation.

Weaver said the investigation remains active, with deputies and child advocacy specialists conducting forensic interviews with children who may have had contact with Perry and reviewing digital and financial records tied to staffing and volunteer arrangements at the church and academy.

The case has also prompted a class action lawsuit seeking at least $25 million in damages from Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy, alleging negligent hiring, negligent supervision and failure to warn parents about Perry’s involvement and access to children.

DSS has continued monitoring the academy’s licensing status as the criminal and civil cases move forward. Sheriff Weaver and Solicitor Jimmy Richardson have urged any parents or former students with information about Perry’s conduct or concerns about church leadership to contact investigators as they work to determine whether additional charges or licensing actions are warranted.