Phone records show pastor's lewd texts

CBS-47

Jacksonville, Florida

August 7, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - There are new details about a pastor accused of having a sexual relationship with two teenage girls at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

We got our hands on 800 pages of court documents detailing the alleged x-rated phone and text messages sent between Darrell Gilyard and a teenaged girl. We also have transcripts of interviews between the state attorney's office and the deacons of the church.

It's pages upon pages of phone and text records allegedly sent by Gilyard to two girls--14 and 16 years old. And we're now getting a look at just how racy the language really was.

The 16-year old told police in a newly released report--she had closer contact with Gilyard--because she was being counseled by him.

In the phone and text messages most of the language is too explicit to show you but in one alleged text, the 16-year old told police: Gilyard texted her: 

"I'm in the mood."

She says she asked --isn't your wife home and he replied "Yeah, she is but i want younger ____."

She says he would text several times a day for text sex.

In a journal, she wrote a letter to Gilyard that said:

"U said don't get caught up in sin, physically emotionally or sexually and yet u physically touch me, emotionally like me & sexually want me.  I deserve to be treated like a woman."

She also told police details about their relationship. She says she was being counseled for bad behavior at school, but their counseling sessions quickly turned sexual. And she says they often played something Pastor Gilyard called the faith game where he would talk about god with the lights out.

According to the report, he would have her fall back, and he would catch her. 
She said several times she could feel that he was aroused and during these games, he would massage her and ask her "what do you think of me?" while touching on her thighs.

She says, Gilyard told her and her 14-year old friend--in a three way conversation not to say anything that he would be put in jail, get divorced and lose the church.

The mother of the 14-year old found text messages from Gilyard on her daughters phone and called police.  Eventually the journal kept by the 16-year old was turned over to detectives.

Gilyard is said to be preaching and teaching at another church in Jacksonville.

http://www.cbs47.com/content/topstories/story.aspx?content_id=2da1ac73-46f3-4ad0-a2b3-b779ea28c483

See also:

Transcripts appear to show pastor's sex talk with teens, News4Jax, 8/6/08

Records list lewd texts, molestings by pastor, Florida Times-Union, 8/6/08

"Mom accuses pastor of sending lewd texts to daughter," Florida Times-Union (AP), 12/24/07  

"Pastor Darrell Gilyard takes leave from Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church," Fox30 News, 12/22/07 (with video)

"One-time SBC rising star in spotlight for sexual text messages," EthicsDaily, 12/26/07

"SNAP leader says sex offender database might have stopped accused predator," EthicsDaily, 12/28/07

Interview with another accuser, Tiffany Croft, CBS-47 (video) (and see Tiffany Croft's blog)

"The downfall of a pastor," Dallas Morning News, 7/14/91

SNAP Note:  According to a 1991 Austin American Statesman article, Darrell Gilyard's Texas church was SBC-affiliated. News articles describe former SBC president Paige Patterson as having been Gilyard's "mentor." Jerry Vines, who "agreed to forgive" Gilyard, is also a former SBC president.