Ex-Youth Pastor’s Scandal Deepens
Daniel Kellan Mayfield, a former youth pastor in South Carolina, is facing additional legal troubles after being charged with 38 new counts of voyeurism involving 24 victims, bringing his total to 144 charges. A judge has set his bond at $1 million, and if he can pay it, he will be required to wear a GPS tracking device and refrain from contacting any of his alleged victims.
The 36-year-old Mayfield was initially arrested in June 2023 while working at First Baptist Gowensville in Landrum, where he is accused of secretly filming young girls in the church restroom and capturing footage of women changing at bridal parties. Recent investigations revealed that his offenses spanned several years, dating back to 2014, and occurred across various counties, including Greenville, Greenwood, Beaufort, and Mount Pleasant.
During a recent court hearing, several of Mayfield’s alleged victims spoke out against him, with one woman labeling him a “monster.” She expressed the betrayal of trust felt by those who believed in him as a spiritual leader while he allegedly recorded them in compromising situations.
Mayfield faces multiple charges, including six counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, as well as charges linked to incidents at three weddings he filmed in 2019 and 2021. At these weddings, he reportedly set up cameras in private areas, violating the guests’ reasonable expectations of privacy. In one instance at First Baptist Church Gowensville, he allegedly recorded the bridal party without their knowledge and saved the footage on his MacBook Pro.
The investigation into Mayfield was triggered by an incident on May 27, 2023, when he was caught recording a woman through the window of her mother’s house in Greenwood. After being confronted by the woman and her sister, he initially denied the allegations but later admitted to filming her while she showered, even allowing her to view the video on his phone. According to a redacted affidavit, he reacted with surprise when he was caught, exclaiming, “Oh sh—” before stopping the recording.