JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jailhouse phone calls captured by the State Attorney’s Office shed new light on the criminal investigation of a former Douglas Anderson School of the Arts teacher.
Jeffrey Clayton is accused of lewd acts upon a student.
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Action News Jax got Clayton’s personnel file from Duval County Public Schools in April. It revealed he had a series of complaints about his behavior with students dating back to 2006.
These recorded calls show Clayton’s wife confronting him about a series of accusations.
She notes Clayton had faced accusations before.
Read: Audio released of police interrogation of former DA teacher Jeffrey Clayton
“I’ve come to bat for you for so many times of you telling me things didn’t really happen, and things weren’t true, and they were just after you. But I need to know is this true?” she asks.
Clayton never answers his wife, saying he can’t talk about it over the phone.
In audio recordings of Clayton’s interrogation, police ask him if he thinks in this case the victim is being honest.
Read: State questions Duval County Public Schools over reporting of arrested Douglas Anderson teacher
Investigator: “Would you say she seems to be an honest person?”
Clayton: “No.”
But text messages obtained by police tell a different story. That evidence shows Clayton and the victim exchanged nearly 1,900 texts, calls and FaceTimes between September 19 of last year and March 21 of this year.
Read: ‘There’s a breach of trust:’ Parents want transparent investigation into misconduct at Duval schools
Clayton’s wife: “There are more than a thousand text messages to this student.”
Clayton: “They told you that?”
Clayton’s wife: “Yes. And I know who the student is because it happened last Friday.”
Read: ‘It’s terrifying:’ Jacksonville teacher facing felony charges for alleged lewd conduct with student
The exchanges are about school at first. Clayton eventually begins calling his student pet names like “sweetie” and asking to see her in different dresses.
By March 13, Clayton is calling her “lovely, gorgeous, stunning, cute, hot.” He insists she is not a teenage girl.
Three days later Clayton texts, “Are you sexually attracted to me?”
Read: Arrested Duval teacher kissed student, told her of ‘intoxicating’ feelings for her, warrant says
From there, their text conversations imply the two kissed multiple times.
The victim says in her police interview that he kissed the top of her breasts.
Clayton admits to wanting to do so in the texts.
Read: Douglas Anderson teacher accused of lewd conduct ‘involving a student,’ principal says
On multiple occasions, he asks her to delete their messages, reminding her how dangerous it could be for them.
Meanwhile, in the recorded call with his wife, Clayton offered few answers.
Clayton’s wife: “Jeff, how did we get here?”
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Clayton: “I don’t know.”
We spoke with Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson about the phone calls and text messages.
Carson, a defense attorney, believes the phone calls can be helpful to the prosecution even though Clayton doesn’t admit to the accusations.
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“Anything other than a flat denial is an admission,” Carson said.
Carson explains that not denying the accusation could lead a jury to believe the defendant knew what happened was wrong and chose not to discuss it.
The phone call will most likely be allowed as evidence because Clayton and his wife acknowledge they are being recorded.
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