A judge has ruled that a pastor can continue preaching to his congregation on Sundays after being charged with failing to report child abuse at the school that operates out of the church. Pastor Lee B. Patrick of First Free Will Baptist Church and Maranatha Christian School in Florence, South Carolina, is one of four people charged in the case.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child abuse that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
The case surrounds Laurin B. Boyce, 73, who is charged with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, one count of assault and battery high and aggravated, and one count of second-degree assault and battery.
According to WPDE, Boyce is alleged to have “intentionally and repeatedly assaulted a child by slamming the head of the child into the crib, covering the child’s head with a blanket, pressing down on the child’s head for a length of time and also dragging the child out of the room.”
Boyce is further alleged to have “approached a child on the playground, knocked the child over, picked the child up and carried the child by the arm and leg before intentionally dropping the child from waist height onto the child’s head.”
Two nursery workers, Jessica Elmore and Dawn Kirven, are alleged to have been notified about the abuse but failed to report it. Elmore, 33, has been charged with two counts of failing to report child abuse/neglect, and Kirven, 42, has been charged with failing to report child abuse/neglect and criminal conspiracy.
As the pastor of the church that operates the school, Patrick has been charged with failing to report child abuse/neglect and criminal conspiracy.
On Tuesday (Feb. 12), a judge set bond for Patrick, Elmore, and Kirven at $6,000 each and said each was barred from supervisory authority over children at the school.
A judge later amended the court order and said that Patrick is allowed to preach at First Free Will Baptist Church from 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Sundays but cannot have any involvement with the school.
