Pastor, School Board President Arrested for Indecency with Teen Church Member
School board unaware of allegations until arrest, 8 months after investigation started
Wednesday (Jan. 25), police arrested a Texas pastor and school board president for indecency and sexual contact with an underage teen attending his church.
Dallas police took Andrew “Drew” Wilborn, 43, into custody after an eight-month investigation validated a 16-year-old’s claims that Wilborn inappropriately touched her.
At the time of the incident and leading up to his arrest, Wilborn was the executive pastor of Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and president of the Prosper ISD School Board.
Last April, the girl told police Wilborn pressed against her twice during a church event, gave her an unwanted hug, grabbed her waist, and would not let her go.
The arrest record says the Dallas Child Exploitation Unit interviewed other church members who reported feeling uncomfortable around Wilborn and complained about his behavior at the church.
One interview included an employee who filed a formal complaint of sexual harassment to the church’s Human Resources Department. The employee said Wilborn called her “Baby Mama,” sent her text messages, and “tried to kiss her and rub her feet on one occasion.”
Another woman complained to church human resources that Wilborn was “too friendly and touchy.” A church’s Board of Trustees witness confirmed the complaints were made.
“The witness said the board sustained the allegations,” the affidavit said.
A friend of the teen said she also felt uncomfortable around Wilborn and that he had reportedly sat her in his lap.
The complaint said that immediately following the incident, the 16-year-old told others about what happened, including her mother and the church’s youth pastor. The church said in a public statement that it took action immediately.
“When we learned about the allegations regarding Drew in April 2022, we immediately notified the Dallas Police Department, placed him on leave, and suspended his responsibilities on our church campus during the ongoing formal police investigation,” the church statement read.
The Prosper school district said they were completely unaware of the allegations against Willborn until after his arrest, and they believe the situation did not involve any Prosper ISD students.
The school board released a public statement on its Facebook page addressing Wilborn’s resignation as president.
“We want to inform you that School Board President Drew Wilborn has submitted his resignation from the Prosper ISD Board of Trustees (Place 7), effectively (sic) immediately…Neither the Prosper ISD Board of Trustees nor district administration knew anything about the allegations against Mr. Wilborn until the afternoon of Wednesday, January 25, 2023, after he was arrested. We feel the same shock as our community. The remaining members of the Board of Trustees want to reassure our community that we are determined to move forward together to re-establish the trust that our community deserves. Our children deserve the best from us so that they can see the best in themselves.”
Questions arose asking how Wilborn and Antioch Church could navigate the investigation for eight months without the school board hearing about the charges.
A top fan of the community page said, “Wilborn and Antioch church knew about his investigation, but PISD didn’t.”
“He was fired from his Church in April of LAST YEAR for these incidents but served on our school board for eight more months?” one commented.
Another said, “… let’s not lose sight of the fact that this guy could have resigned quietly back in April.”
Board members are elected officials and cannot be fired. Therefore, it was up to Wilborn to resign.
Wilborn met his $50,000 bond on January 26. His hearing is yet to be scheduled.
Main photo: Andrew Wilborn
