News 12 at 6 o'clock / Friday, July 30, 2010

BAMBERG CITY, S.C. -- A Bamberg pastor and his wife are out on bond, charged with having child pornography on their computer.
Ponds is pastor of the Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church in Bamberg.

Police arrested the Reverend G. Bernard Ponds and his wife Rhonda on Tuesday, July 27. They're each facing felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree. The couple was released on bond with a promise to show up in court.

Officers have accused the couple of saving pictures of children engaging in sex acts on their computer. Mark Plowden of the Attorney General's office says this investigation began at the end of last year. The Ponds' computer has been under forensic investigation for several months, according to Plowden.

"I was just shocked that something like this would happen here in Bamberg." Gail Bozard lives in Bamberg and says she can't believe a local pastor was arrested. "You hear about things like this is big cities, of child pornography and stuff like that. But you don't hear about it hear about it in Bamberg- this is a small place."

Plowden says South Carolina's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has handled 75 cases of child pornography since July, 2007. He says it does take a long time to gather evidence from a computer, but compares it to DNA. He says what they find is very specific to the computer and its user.

Friends say the Ponds and their four children moved to Bamberg a couple of years ago to lead Mt. Carmel Baptist church. One member, who chooses to remain anonymous, says she left the congregation shortly after. "After a while things started changing and personalities started changing...I just did not feel comfortable staying there so I left."

The woman added that she never suspected anything even remotely related to possession of child pornography. She simply didn't agree with how business was being run in the church she's attended for fifty-two years." Since [Ponds] has been charged, I think they should remove him from the Bamberg community and from the church until everything has been dealt with appropriately through the court system."

Other members agree the congregation started dividing after this investigation began at the end of last year, when word of a child pornography investigation surfaced. Investigators emphasize the Ponds are being charged with possession of the pictures, not producing them.

Evelyn Sellers is still a member of the church. She says she won't even read the details about the investigation. "I just- I don't know what's happening. I just don't know. But I don't believe it. I dont think he could have...I know him better than that."

Bozard adds it's possible this is all one big mistake. "There's a lot of ways things can come up on your computer... We're in America. We're innocent until proven guilty. And I hope and pray that they are innocent."

News 12 did speak with Pastor Ponds on the phone this morning. He says, "We are innocent of all of the allegations against us." He also expressed his gratitude to those who have showed continued support. He did not wish to make any other comments.

Whether the allegations are true or not, one thing all parts of the congregation can agree on: they hope to heal soon. The former member points out, "The church is a vital part of this community, and to have this negative light placed on the church is just not good."