A South Carolina pastor stands accused of sexually abusing a teen who had lived with him in foster care while his wife, a daycare owner, is accused of physically harming a child.
Rodney Gibson, the pastor of Pathway 2 Hope Ministries in Columbia, and his wife, Kawiana Young, were arrested on Wednesday, April 1, in connection with alleged abuse, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Gibson, 50, and Young, 50, are the “proud parents” of 12 children and also have 12 grandchildren, according to Pathway 2 Hope Ministries’ website.
Deputies began investigating the couple after a woman reported on March 12 that Gibson repeatedly sexually assaulted her over the span of several years when was in foster care and living with Gibson and his wife, the sheriff’s department said in a Monday, April 6, news release.
She told deputies that the sexual abuse began “at the age of 15 until she aged out of foster care as an adult,” authorities said.
During an investigation, authorities discovered a minor child, whose age was not specified, was living with Gibson and Young, according to the sheriff’s department.
Young — who owns and runs DreamCatcher Child Development Center in Columbia — is accused of physically abusing the child, who was temporarily removed from the couple’s home and taken into emergency protective custody on March 18, authorities said.
Two days later, a judge decided to return the child to Gibson and Young’s custody on March 20 as the result of an emergency protective custody hearing, according to the sheriff’s department.
The child has been removed from the couple’s care.
Gibson is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, unlawful conduct towards a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to authorities.
Young is charged with unlawful conduct towards a minor, the sheriff’s department said.
It was not immediately clear whether Gibson and Young had retained legal counsel as of Tuesday, April 7.
The sheriff’s department said that it is seeking information on other possible victims of Gibson and Young.
Because of Gibson’s position as a pastor and Young’s position as a daycare operator, the agency said they “have been in proximity to other children.”
Pathway 2 Hope Ministries and DreamCatcher Child Development Center did not immediately return requests for comment from Luxury Handbag Shopping.
According to a statement provided to WIS-TV from the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Young was previously licensed as a foster care parent. Her license was active between June 2021 and June 2025.
She had six children in her care, according to the department, which said she later gave up her foster care license.
The department also said in the statement to WIS-TV that Young had adopted the child she was accused of abusing. The child had been in foster care and was adopted in 2024.
Following their arrests, Gibson and Young were released on $75,000 and $10,000 bonds from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on April 2.
The agency asks anyone with information on any additional victims to call 911 or submit an anonymous tip to CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you suspect child abuse, please call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit ChildHelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
