South Carolina authorities have arrested a pastor and his wife on multiple charges of child sexual abuse following allegations from victims who were placed in their foster care.
Rodney Gibson and Kawiana Young, both 50 years of age, were taken into custody by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on April 1st after an investigation that began when a former foster child came forward with disturbing allegations. Gibson faces charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, unlawful conduct toward a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Young has been charged with unlawful conduct with a minor.
According to investigators, the first victim reported last month that Gibson had sexually assaulted them on multiple occasions while they were in foster care at the couple’s home. The abuse allegedly began when the victim was 15 years old and continued until they aged out of the foster care system.
The investigation took a troubling turn when authorities discovered that another minor was currently residing with Gibson and Young. When questioned by investigators, this child reported being sexually abused by Gibson and physically abused by Young. The minor was immediately removed and placed in emergency protective custody.
In a development that has raised serious questions about the foster care oversight process, a family court judge ordered the minor returned to Gibson and Young’s home during an emergency protective custody hearing on March 20th. However, as investigators continued their work and obtained additional evidence, arrest warrants were secured.
Following their arrests on April 1st, both Gibson and Young were released on bond the following day. The minor has since been placed back into emergency protective custody, away from the couple’s home.
The case has drawn attention to the screening and monitoring procedures for foster parents in South Carolina. Gibson served as a pastor, a position of trust within the community, while Young held a license as a foster parent. The South Carolina Department of Social Services has acknowledged the case but has not yet provided detailed information about how the couple maintained their foster care license or what oversight was in place during the period when the alleged abuse occurred.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out the possibility of additional charges or victims coming forward. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department continues to gather evidence and conduct interviews related to the case.
This case serves as a sobering reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by children in the foster care system and the critical importance of proper vetting and monitoring of those entrusted with their care. The children involved, already displaced from their original homes, now face the trauma of abuse allegedly perpetrated by those who were supposed to protect them.
And that is the way it is.
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