<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2QdtMF_1H0rG3Jf00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2QdtMF_1H0rG3Jf00" width="400" height="280" ></figure>A week after a judge set bail for the man at the center of the furor that led to resignations and arrests of leaders at Pawleys Island Community Church and its Chistian academy, he left the Georgetown County jail without posting bond.The criminal charges against Warren Perry as well as the church and school officials were dismissed by Chief Magistrate Anthony Love.He ruled at a preliminary hearing last week that prosecutors had not shown probable cause for charges of criminal conspiracy, obstructing justice and unlawfully placing a child at risk in allowing Perry, a registered sex offender to work as a volunteer at the school and church.“There’s a difference between poor judgment and violating the law,” Love said.Perry was arrested in July along with the Rev. Don Williams, the pastor; his wife, Ginny Williams, who worked at the church; Nikki Howard, the head of the school; and Mike Fields, who was the church operations director.Perry, 70, of Murrells Inlet spent 110 days in jail. The other defendants were released on bond after their arrest.The arrests came after a parent discovered that Perry was on the state sex offender registry after pleading guilty in 2023 to third degree sexual exploitation of a minor.Assistant Deputy Attorney General Megan Raymer told the court last week that the evidence has changed since the charges were filed. There have been no disclosures of any sexual assault in forensic interviews with students at the academy, she said.There are also seven civil suits pending, and one claims that Perry molested a student at the school.Anthony Marracino, an investigator with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, testified that no child had reported inappropriate touching and that a search of Perry’s devices found no sexually explicit images of minors.“This case could have been a wildly different situation if what was previously alleged was founded,” Raymer said.Love said he agreed with the defense attorneys that the evidence did not support the charges.“There’s a difference between poor judgment and violating the law,” he said. “I think this was poor judgment used on behalf of the church, and I don’t think it arises to a criminal offense against anyone.”Love placed the blame on the state Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole. He said he found it “troubling” that he hasn’t heard anything from the agency.“It’s in my opinion that they have let this fall through the cracks,” he said.“If fault lies somewhere here, it is with that agency,” said O’Bryan Martin, the attorney representing Fields.Love said he sympathized with Marracino for picking up the state agency’s slack. Marracino told the court that the sheriff’s office conducted between 30 and 40 interviews with church leaders, parents, teachers and students.Love said the sheriff’s office was not responsible for supervising Perry, who was registered with the county and was tracked by GPS for his first nine months.“This has put the sheriff’s office in a tough situation,” Love said. “It’s not your department’s job to keep up with it. It is Probation, Pardon and Parole.”Questions also homed in on whether Perry’s involvement with the church constituted as volunteer work or employment.Marracino said Perry “made it clear” that he was acting as a custodian on the church grounds and worked approximately 40 to 50 hours a week on the campus. Perry had access to buildings and was called upon by staff to do routine work, he said. There was a supervisor, Val Gundling, whom he shared an office with, and he had an email account through the church, Marracino said.Although Perry was not on the payroll, “he acted in a manner which mirrored what an employee does,” Marracino said.He pointed to an agreement of personal responsibility found in Don Williams’s office.“The wording mirrors that of a Triple P agreement that is given out by the agency advising individuals on the sex offender registry what their rights are,” Marracino said.Marracino recalled that a child had said Perry helped take him to the restroom. Casey Brown, the attorney who represents the Williamses, said that when the child was shown a photo of Perry, he said it wasn’t him.“I’ll have to refresh my memory on that,” Marracino said.“So you can’t remember if the child positively identified Mr. Perry as the person who took him to the restroom. Isn’t that something that would stand out to you?” Love asked.Regarding charges on criminal conspiracy, Love said he did not hear testimony from Marracino that there was any conspiracy to hide Perry’s status as a registered sex offender.It’s not illegal to conspire, argued Erin Bailey, the attorney representing Howard. Love agreed.“We could conspire about where we’re going to lunch later. I might buy you lunch after this,” Bailey told Marracino.On the obstruction charge against Perry, Howard and the Williamses, Love said there was no information withheld from investigators.From the very beginning, the church cooperated with law enforcement, he said.Love said the charges can still be presented to the grand jury.“I hope you would have more than this to present,” he said.</div></body>

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A week after a judge set bail for the man at the center of the furor that led to resignations and arrests of leaders at Pawleys Island Community Church and its Chistian academy, he left the Georgetown County jail without posting bond. The criminal charges against Warren Perry as well...

Magistrate: ‘Poor judgement’ not a crime

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A week after a judge set bail for the man at the center of the furor that led to resignations and arrests of leaders at Pawleys Island Community Church and

Magistrate: ‘Poor judgement’ not a crime

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