Judge Howard King denied bond on Rudolph Walls, 64, a pastor accused of molesting three people, two of which are minors.
Walls had been arrested for molesting the two minors and was out on a $100,000 bond when the third victim, after seeing the report in the news, came forward. Investigators with the Dillon Police Department allege Walls made contact with the third victim and threatened him about going to the police. With that evidence, law enforcement charged Walls additionally with intimidation of a witness.
Assistant Solicitor Shipp Daniel, who is prosecuting the case, said at the bond hearing that Walls is a registered sex offender due to a 1989 conviction for indecent liberties with a minor in Pennsylvania. Walls failed to register in Dillon County where he worked as pastor of Friendly Chapel on West Main Street, which is required by law. Daniel said an additional charge for failing to register is forthcoming.
When deciding whether to grant bond, the judge considers only two issues: whether the defendant is a flight risk and whether the defendant is a danger to the community.
Daniel told the Court that the defendant lives in Chadbourn, North Carolina, and that he had every reason to flee and not appear for court. Daniel also discussed the defendant’s criminal history and the serious nature of the present charges, saying Walls is “the definition of a danger to the community.”
Walls’ next court date has not yet been set.
