Former pastor sentenced for decades-long sexual assault of minors

William Benton Oswald, 62, of Lexington County was convicted of three counts of criminal sexual conduct of a minor for sexually assaulting two victims over a period of time beginning in the early 1990s and continuing through the early 2000s.

Photo: Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– A Lexington County man was found guilty by a Richland County jury on Friday, Dec.1, said the solicitor’s office.

William Benton Oswald, 62, of Lexington County was convicted of three counts of criminal sexual conduct of a minor for sexually assaulting two victims over a period of time beginning in the early 1990s and continuing through the early 2000s.

Throughout the early childhood years of the victims, Oswald repeatedly molested them, said investigators.

During the five-day trial, the victims testified about the multiple acts of molestation and abuse they endured.

Officials say he was able to hide the acts he committed for years as a pastor and influential member of the communities he served.

Judge Eugene Griffith sentenced Oswald to twenty years in prison for the assaults against each victim to run consecutive to one another, for a total sentence of forty years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, represented by Assistant Solicitors Theresa Johns and Allison Foster, prosecuted the case.

The investigation was conducted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.