Youth pastor who filmed underaged girls in church bathroom now facing 46 counts

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, July 06, 2023

Daniel Kellan Mayfield, the former youth pastor at First Baptist Gowensville in Landrum, South Carolina, who was arrested last month for allegedly recording girls, many of whom were underage, inside the church’s bathroom, is now facing 46 charges of criminal sexual conduct, court records show.

Court records and arrest warrants listed in South Carolina’s public online database show that Mayfield is facing 35 counts of criminal sexual conduct in Greenville County while he is facing an additional 11 counts in Greenwood County.

First Baptist Gowensville did not immediately respond to calls for comment from The Christian Post on Thursday. Early last month, investigators from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office discovered that Mayfield, 35, had unlawfully filmed multiple girls, as young as 14 years old, inside the bathroom of the church in Landrum. He was previously charged with five counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of voyeurism.

This announcement from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office was made after Mayfield was caught recording a woman outside her bathroom window in Greenwood on May 27. The woman reported that she and her sister found Mayfield standing alone in their backyard after she noticed a light outside the window.

When they initially confronted him about what he was doing, he denied making any recording but eventually confessed to recording the woman while she was showering and gave her his phone so she could view the video. A redacted affidavit details how, after he was caught, Mayfield declared “Oh sh—” before he managed to end the recording.

First Baptist Gowensville has not provided any additional updates on its website about the investigation beyond a May 27th statement about Mayfield’s dismissal.

“On May 27th, 2023, First Baptist Gowensville leadership was made aware of an incident of moral misconduct perpetrated by one of our staff members. Proper authorities were notified immediately, and the employee was terminated from his role,” the statement says. “Due to the nature of the investigation, FBC Gowensville refers all questions to the law enforcement authorities involved. We remain dedicated to providing a safe worship environment and will be ever vigilant in protecting all persons involved in any of our events.”

Mayfield, 35, is facing significant penalties for the charges against him. South Carolina laws punish those convicted of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor with “imprisonment for not less than 3 years nor more than 20 years.”

Voyeurism, according to the Law Office of James R. Snell Jr., “is a serious criminal offense that, while similar to the act of illegally recording someone, is classified as a sex crime in South Carolina.”

“An individual is guilty of voyeurism when they knowingly view, photograph, record, film, or otherwise produce digital content of another person engaging in sexually explicit activities without their knowledge and consent,” Snell’s office adds.

The crime is classified as a misdemeanor or felony under South Carolina's Code of Laws.

A first offense is treated as a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $500 and up to three years in prison. A second offense, however, is a felony under the law and is punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

Mayfield’s now disabled LinkedIn page previously said he had also been working with Compassion International since November 2013. His profile on First Baptist Gowensville’s website also states that he worked at Compassion International as an event director.

However, Tim Glenn, global public relations director for Compassion International, told The Christian Post that he was not directly employed by the Christian humanitarian organization.

“He was employed by a company that Compassion contracted for marketing events, from 2013-2014,” Glenn told CP. “He has also served as a volunteer at some Compassion marketing events until 2016. Though he applied for a position with Compassion, he was never hired.

“As a ministry with child protection at the very core of our mission, we are obviously distraught over these accusations against a former volunteer and pray for justice and peace for the alleged victims in this matter.”