An Evans man with a history as a S.C. pastor and a local worship leader has been arrested for two counts of public indecency after exposing himself to a jogger at Patriots Park over the weekend.
Columbia County deputies responded to the scene around 8 a.m. Saturday when the woman reported seeing a man in a white Toyota Tacoma truck expose himself as she jogged along a greenway path. The jogger described the man as having his black shorts pulled down and “wiggling” in a way that was clearly visible to her.
The jogger turned and ran through the park, off the path before watching the truck leave the park. She then approached a group of people and called 911.
The jogger described the truck as a newer, white Toyota truck with black sideboards and a Georgia tag. Dispatchers used traffic cameras to identify the 2024 Toyota Tacoma as being registered to Matthews.
While investigating the case, deputies noted that the incident was similar to another case from 2024 which was closed when deputies were unable to track down the white truck. But deputies found an October Facebook post from Matthews’ wife which showed a photo of Matthews with the new truck and a caption that read “My hubby got himself a big present today!”
Deputies determined Matthews was the individual involved in both incidents. When they called him to discuss the Feb. 1 incident, asking if he had been at the park earlier that day, Matthews said “he would rather not talk about it.” He was charged and later released on bond.
This arrest marks Matthews’ second known offense of public indecency. In 2016, Matthews, who was then known as Xaiquiri Matthews, was arrested in Hartsville, S.C., after several incidents where he exposed himself to women near Coker College. Matthews, who was serving as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Bishopville at the time, later confessed to the crime and admitted to other similar incidents in the area.
His arrest led to scrutiny of his position at the church, and he was subsequently removed. The outcome of those cases is not clear. Matthews, who holds a Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, had been with the church since July 2016. In response to the previous incidents, Coker College issued a statement confirming that Matthews had been banned from all campus property.
Most recently, Matthews had been leading worship at a local Celebrate Recovery program. A source who wished to remain anonymous shared their experience with Matthews, recalling that he had once been considered to lead worship at the church they pastor but declined the offer. Matthews had disclosed a “previous sexual failing” to the source, which they initially assumed was an affair that caused him to step down from pastoring and nearly cost him his marriage.
However, after Matthews’ latest arrest, the source discovered his prior arrests, raising serious concerns about his past actions. Matthews is currently prohibited from entering any public parks, recreational areas, or school properties as part of his new charges.
