GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Community members gathered outside Pawleys Island Community Church Sunday morning, demanding accountability and justice following the arrest of a convicted sex offender who volunteered near children on campus.
Protesters lined up outside the church holding signs calling for the protection of children and asking for answers and change.
Protesters rally outside Pawleys Island-area church demanding answers in sex offender scandal(WMBF News)
Georgetown County deputies arrested 70-year-old Warren Perry Tuesday for violating probation. Perry is a convicted sex offender following a 2023 Sexual Exploitation of a Minor conviction for a crime committed in 2020.
Warren Spence Perry(Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office)
Perry volunteered at the church, which operates Pawleys Island Christian Academy on the same campus, where he worked as a custodian. The academy offers programs to children from 6 weeks old to kindergarten.
Former Pastor Don Williams, who resigned Friday, has publicly acknowledged he and other church leaders knew about Perry’s conviction.
Parent Candace Spera came out to protest Sunday and said she wants all those who knew about Perry’s background to be held accountable.
“People in this community online are saying ‘Oh he didn’t do anything wrong, blah blah blah.’ That doesn’t matter,” Spera said.“If you are truly sorry for what you did, you would never put yourself in a position to be around children. That is 100 percent predator behavior and there needs to be accountability.”
Protesters told WMBF News they will continue demonstrating for as long as it takes for justice to be served.
Georgetown County investigators also executed a search warrant at Pawleys Island Christian Academy Sunday as part of the ongoing investigation.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office has scheduled a press conference Monday with updates on the case.
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