Pastor changed his mind about allegations

Pastor Matthew Ellis' first urge was to trust his youth minister.

He didn't think Brian Brijbag was capable of committing adultery with a pair of teenage girls.

A former employee at First Baptist Church of Brooksville — one who had just been fired by Brijbag — came to Ellis in March and told him his girlfriend had twice slept with Brijbag. Both times came prior to her 18th birthday, he said.

Ellis told authorities he took the allegations seriously, but looked into them with a heavy dose of skepticism.

Two years earlier, a father of another teenage girl contacted Ellis and told him he had uncovered correspondence between her and Brijbag that led him to suspect they were carrying on a sexual relationship.

He met with the pastor and both of them concluded — after further questioning of the girl — she had concocted the story. She had fantasized about Brijbag, but nothing more happened, according to court records.

Ellis recalled that meeting after he heard about the latest charge.

"I still believed he was innocent of any wrongdoing," Ellis wrote in a 12-page statement he presented to the Brooksville Police Department.

Brijbag submitted his resignation to the pastor via email.

Ellis asked him to rescind it pending the outcome of the investigation because it would make him appear guilty, he wrote.

The pastor stated he changed his mind about his youth minister's innocence after Brijbag turned down an opportunity to meet with him soon after the latest accusation came to light.

More specifically, Ellis wanted Brijbag to take part in a group meeting with the accuser and her father.

"(I) would have taken the opportunity to plead with the one alleging the improprieties to tell the truth," Ellis stated.

Brijbag declined for a few reasons, according to court records. He didn't want to confront the girl and her father. He would be afraid of how he would react to hearing such strong accusations in person and having his integrity attacked.

He thought the girl's father didn't want to pursue charges, so he wanted to "let sleeping dogs lie," Ellis stated, recalling his phone conversation with Brijbag.

The youth minister even suggested attending counseling if it meant making the issue disappear. Ellis didn't like what he was hearing.

"I began at this point to suspect his guilt," wrote Ellis.

He thought harder about his meeting two years earlier with the father of the other accuser.

"I now look back and that and wonder if we believed a lie," Ellis stated.

The girl from two years earlier was about to reemerge with new accusations. Both she and the other teen told police Brijbag had sex with them in his office one day in June 2009. One was 18 years old and the other was 17.

Brijbag, 35, was arrested in May on two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. A trial date has not been scheduled.

Ellis did not return an email requesting an interview for this story.

One forthright accuser, one reluctant accuser

The latest accuser submitted a written statement to police in April. In it, she described how Brijbag, who was in Brazil, sent her a text message in May 2010 about his fantasies and wanted her to explore hers.

Minutes later, the girl received a text message from her 18-year-old friend who also was a member of the same church.

She invited the girl over to her house to spend the night, according to the statement.

"I believe Brian asked (name deleted) to set up a 'sleepover' with me to have sex with me," the girl wrote.

The two teens engaged in sexual activities that night, according to the accuser.

The girl stated she and Brijbag had shared a kiss in late 2009 and had sex at his house in early 2010. The two continued the constant flirting, she said.

Her written statement also revealed the following:

Three months after the sleepover, the 18-year-old picked up the 17-year-old and the two went to the Citrus Park Mall to shop for dresses.

Afterward, the 18-year-old set up a time for her, her friend and Brijbag to meet. They agreed to visit him at his office at the church.

In detail, she described the sexual encounter.

She also said it took place soon after Brijbag had taken his family to the movies.

Her written statement was four pages long.

The 18-year-old girl was summoned to the police department soon thereafter. She originally denied having sexual relations with both Brijbag and the girl.

"Nothing intimate ever occurred," she wrote in her original statement. She also said the girl and her new boyfriend were bitter and "would fabricate something like this to hurt Brian."

A week later, she was summoned to the police station again.

A provocative photo of her and the other female teen was unveiled to her. Four hours later, she submitted a revised written statement, one that corroborated what the other accuser had stated.

"I was not completely honest in my previous statement because I was trying to protect everyone in this situation," she wrote. "I did not want anyone to be hurt."

Little evidence beyond statements

The younger of the two accusers told police Brijbag used a "fictitious email account" and an alias to communicate with her.

Police collected computer hardware from Brijbag's home and office. They also contacted MySpace and Yahoo for more evidence.

Neither Internet company could provide police with any further information, according to court records.

The girl said she deleted all texts and instant messages she exchanged with Brijbag before police were contacted. She also threw away all of the notes she kept about the relationship, police said.

The same girl began dating an employee at the church in October 2010. He was fired by Brijbag, and he was the one who notified Ellis about the allegations.

Brijbag's wife showed up one day in March at Ellis' home "to proclaim her husband's innocence," the pastor wrote.

She said Brijbag's former employee had an "ulterior motive."

The girl and her boyfriend moved to Wyoming together soon after the allegations were made, according to court records.

Jerry Wayne Walker, a deacon at the church, was among those who vouched for Brijbag. He told police he thought his friend was the victim.

"(Walker) believes that these accusations are of a vindictive nature since Brijbag would no longer allow (his employee) to be a group leader or be in the church's band," the investigator wrote.