Farwell was ordained in 1981 and removed in 2002. In 1999, a woman reported that Farwell had abused her son in the early 1980s. The diocese said the accuser did not come forward. In 2002, the accuser did come forward and said Farwell had abused him when he was 12 or 13 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Salisbury in 1983. Later in 2002, a second allegation against Farwell was reported by the attorney for a man who said Farwell had sexually abused him when he was 15 at St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Salisbury in 1984. Farwell was indicted in Rowan County on two felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor. In 2004, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was sentenced to probation. He currently lives in Florida.