A new lawsuit connected to a registered sex offender who worked around children at a coastal South Carolina church and its preschool now names South Carolina's own probation agency as a defendant, the first time the state has been directly accused of failing to supervise him. Here is what that shift means if a government agency, not just a private institution, missed the warning signs in your case.
Reviewed by Abuse Justice Center · Updated 2026-10-28
Figures drawn from the civil complaint as reported by WMBF News and the Post and Courier.
Since allegations first surfaced that a registered sex offender worked for years as a volunteer custodian at a coastal South Carolina church and its preschool, four earlier lawsuits have targeted the church, its former leadership, and the school. The newest complaint, filed this week, is the first to name the state's own probation and parole oversight body as a defendant too.
The man was convicted of a sex crime involving a minor in 2023, with probation conditions that explicitly barred him from contact with children. According to the new lawsuit, he nonetheless worked as a custodian with regular access to preschool grounds for roughly six years, and allegedly told probation officers he had no contact with children and had not been near places children gather, statements the suit says were false.
Many people assume that if a parole or probation office made a mistake, there is no way to hold it accountable, since government agencies often have broad legal protections. Those protections are real, but they are not absolute. When a lawsuit can show an agency knew about a specific, serious risk and failed to take basic steps to monitor it, a claim can sometimes proceed against the agency itself.
This complaint alleges the agency approved the man's volunteer position based only on a personal reference from church leadership, without requiring disclosure that the organization ran a preschool, and then never verified his compliance with the no-contact condition over several years.
Institutional abuse cases usually focus on the school, church, team, or facility where the abuse happened. But a supervising government agency, whether it is a probation office, a child welfare department, or a licensing board, sometimes shares responsibility if it had specific knowledge of risk and did not act on it.
If your case involves someone who was already known to authorities, on probation, registered as an offender, or under a court order restricting contact with children, it is worth having that history reviewed alongside the institution's own conduct. Both can potentially factor into a claim.
Abuse Justice Center is a free information resource, not a law firm, and does not give legal advice; a licensed attorney in your state can review your situation, and you can ask any attorney how they charge before you agree to anything.
If you or someone you love needs to talk to someone immediately, RAINN's free, confidential hotline is available 24/7 at 800-656-4673. A free review can help identify every party, institutional or governmental, that may share responsibility in your situation.
We strive to provide accurate, current reporting on news and related legal proceedings. However, articles may contain errors, omissions, or outdated information. Allegations are not established facts, and individuals accused of criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
If you identify an inaccuracy or would like to request a correction, revision, or update, please email info@abusejusticecenter.org with the article URL, the requested change, and any supporting documentation. We will review submissions and make corrections or updates as appropriate.
Some content may be distressing. Please use discretion when reading.
Reporting reflects information available at the time of publication. Cases may develop, and articles may be updated or corrected. To report an error, request an update, or raise a privacy concern, please contact our editorial team.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
When someone with a supervised criminal history gains access to children, more than one party can potentially be held responsible.
Abuse Justice Center is a free information resource, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. Ask any attorney how they charge before you agree. Need support now? The RAINN hotline is 800-656-4673, 24/7.
In some circumstances, yes. Government immunity has limits, particularly where an agency had specific knowledge of risk and failed to act on it.
No. This is one example. Any case where a government agency, licensing board, or child welfare office missed clear warning signs can potentially raise similar questions.
That is still a valid claim on its own. A government angle is an additional avenue to explore, not a requirement.
Nothing. Abuse Justice Center is a free information resource, not a law firm, and does not give legal advice; a licensed attorney in your state can review your situation, and you can ask any attorney how they charge before you agree to anything.