Daniel Kellan Mayfield.Photo:Greenville County Sheriffâs Office
Greenville County Sheriffâs Office
A former South Carolina youth pastor was arrested and charged last week on accusations he videotaped at least six different women and girls while they showered, some as young as 14 years old.The 35-year-old pastor, Daniel Kellan Mayfield, is charged with five counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of voyeurism. The alleged incidents date back to July 2022, according to localWCSC. Mayfield was denied bond.
According to police, some of the alleged incidents occurred in the bathroom at Gowensville Baptist Church in Landrum, S.C., where Mayfield was working as a student pastor, per WCSC.
“You would never think someone you know - that’s like a family, because that’s what our church is, it’s like a family - you would never think something so devastating would happen in that little circle of people,” church member Isabella Godfry toldWYFF News 4.
Gowensville Baptist Church in Landrum, South Carolina.WYFF News 4/YouTube;
WYFF News 4/YouTube;
Mayfield allegedly admitted to filming one woman in the show from outside of her mother’s house, police said, according to WCSC.
“I’m concerned about my wife and my daughters being on that camera,” Benjamin Green, a member of the church,toldWJBF.
A parent of one of the alleged victims spoke during Mayfield’s appearance in front of a magistrate court judge, telling the judge the families “entrusted [Mayfield] with our children."
“He took advantage of them in a vulnerable situation,” the parent alleged. “And this is not just a one-time deal. It seems to be going on much longer. We don’t feel like he needs to be released for any reason.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
