Severity of three sex assault charges reduced in case against Walterboro-area preacher

A judge on Tuesday reduced the severity of several sexual assault charges against the leader of a Walterboro-area religious compound but allowed the still-evolving prosecution to move forward.

Ralph Gordon Stair, 84, founder of Overcomer Ministry whose preaching was broadcast on radio networks worldwide, was arrested in December after women alleged a wide range of sexual misconduct, including groping and rape. Some were minors at the time.

Stair was originally charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, one count of kidnapping, one count of first-degree burglary, one count of second-degree assault and battery, and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, a magistrate reduced two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct to third degree. A first-degree count of attempted criminal sexual conduct was also reduced to third-degree.

"I think we have a long way to go," Jack Swerling, Stair's attorney, said after the hearing. "He insists that he did not do anything."

A Colleton County detective, Sgt. Ed Marcurella, testified during the Tuesday afternoon hearing, which lasted about an hour and a half and outlined details of the preacher's alleged crimes, ranging from outright rape to using psychological manipulation and threats to abuse members of his congregation.

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The FBI recently became more involved because several of Stair's accusers are from out of state, Marcurella said.

Last week, the lawman noted, the federal agents interviewed a 12-year-old girl.

Stair used his position as the ministry's leader to exert power over the victims, according to details included in Marcurella's testimony.

One of the victims moved with her parents when she was 8 years old to an area called "the campground," which was adjacent to the main ministry called "the farm," Marcurella said.

When she was 17, the victim moved onto the farm and lived in a trailer that was converted into a kind of duplex, the lawman said.

Around that time, Stair allegedly began preaching that if a congregant's name wasn't called during prayer time, they should be worried about getting into heaven, Marcurella said. The victim's name wasn't called and she reached out to Stair, who reassured her and later visited her in the trailer at night.

About two nights later, Stair showed up at the trailer again and raped her, saying "Don't you want to please and honor God?", the lawman said

In other cases, victims reported being groped by Stair to a parent, but the parents failed to contact authorities about the alleged abuse, Marcurella said. In other cases, victims stayed silent.

Victims also told authorities that Stair demanded that all doors on the compound stay unlocked so that he could have access at all times, the lawman said.