School Board President Prosper ISD resigns after being accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl

PROSPER, Texas – The Dallas police report that the pastor of the church, who played the role of authority, raped a 16-year-old girl. The suspect is also the President of the Prosper ISD School Board.

Andrew Wilborn, 43, has been charged with indecency towards a child and the church he worked for cut ties with him shortly after the allegations were made last year.

Late Friday, the school district announced that Wilborn had submitted his resignation, effective immediately.

“The board will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 6:00 pm to determine the best course of action to replace the vacant position,” the district told parents.

But Prosper ISD says he was not aware of the allegations until after he was arrested, even as he made key decisions to investigate unrelated allegations of sexual abuse involving Prosper ISD students.

Wilborn was elected to the board of trustees in 2021. At the last check, his status in the district has not changed. However, his biography is no longer on the county website.

Records show that Wilborn was released from jail on Thursday after being arrested on child indecency/sexual contact charges.

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Police said they received information that Wilborn inappropriately touched a 16-year-old girl while serving as executive pastor at Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Dallas.

In her arrest warrant application, she describes an incident in April 2022 after a church service in an area where food was distributed. The girl told investigators that Wilborn twice touched her inappropriately.

“The applicant stated that after the incident, the suspect involuntarily hugged her, grabbed her by the waist and did not let go,” the affidavit says.

The court document says the 16-year-old wrote to a friend about what happened and reported the incident to another youth pastor before leaving the church.

The 16-year-old also claimed that Wilborn “rubbed his erect penis against her ass and her clothes,” according to the sworn statement.

The police investigation included questioning other employees and members of the church.

On May 5, an employee told investigators that Wilborn had touched her inappropriately.

“The witness stated that the suspect once tried to kiss her and rub her legs. The witness stated that she was uncomfortable, ”the affidavit says.

In an interview with police, Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church board chairman Joel Leach said he had heard rumors that Wilborn was “too friendly and touchy,” according to police documents.

Leach also told police that a formal sexual harassment complaint was filed against Wilborn by an employee and that the board upheld the allegations, the affidavit says.

The church said that Wilborn was fired after learning of the investigation in April 2022.

“We condemn abuse in any form and are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our entire church community. In addition to our policy to protect the men, women, and children who attend Antioch Church, we require all of our staff and volunteers to undergo rigorous vetting. screenings, including regular record and background checks, and mandatory training to maintain a safe environment,” missionary Baptist Church Antioch Fellowship said in a statement. “When we learned of the allegations against Drew in April 2022, we immediately notified the Dallas Police Department, placed him on leave, and suspended his duties on our church campus while an official police investigation is ongoing. From that time on, the decision was made to fire Wilborn. from his role in the Antiochian church.”

On Wednesday, Prosper ISD sent parents an email with hard-to-share news.

“Prosper ISD Board of Trustees President Drew Wilborn was arrested late Wednesday, January 25, 2023, by the Dallas Police Department on charges of indecent behavior towards a child. This is a criminal case and to the best of our knowledge this situation does not include Prosper ISD students. It is natural for our community to have questions and we will provide as much information as possible when we can,” the county said.

Last year, many Prosper ISD parents called for Wilborn and other district leaders to step down.

Hillary Morabito is a Prosper ISD parent who closely monitors the county’s activities and is critical of the county’s response to an unrelated scandal last year in which a bus driver was accused of repeatedly molesting two girls.

A lawsuit was filed against the district alleging that it was more interested in keeping the allegations out of the media than in protecting the students.

“I’m just surprised that Prosper ISD continues to have more of these issues,” Morabito said.

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Paniagia was arrested last year and committed suicide while in custody.

The Prosper School Board voted to hire an independent firm to look into the district’s handling of the bus driver case.

A county official told FOX 4 that the county was “totally unaware” of the charges against Wilborn prior to his arrest. Dallas police reported the arrest to Prosper ISD.

“I really find it hard to believe that the county first found out about this,” Morabito said. “I find it hard to believe that this information has not come out, especially since he was no longer the pastor of this church.”

In the meantime, Dallas Police are asking anyone with information about other possible incidents involving Wilborn to call them at 214-671-4331 or contact Detective R. Jones at [email protected].