JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former Jacksonville pastor, 81, who faced sexual battery charges avoided a possible life sentence on Thursday after he accepted a negotiated plea deal.
Paul Dyal pled guilty to one count of child abuse and received a sentence of 5 years probation. He was also sentenced to one year in jail, which he had already served.
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Dyal was a pastor of the Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ on Old Kings Road North. He was arrested on a charge of capital sexual battery during a coordinated raid on the church in March 2022.
He was one of three men at the church who were arrested in the raid.
The victim in Dyal’s case was a minor and a member of the church. Prosecutors said she was sexually abused between 1980 and 1987.
The State Attorney’s Office (SAO) said the victim asked prosecutors to resolve the case so that it would no longer require her participation because of the resurfaced emotional toll she experienced. That decision led to the plea agreement.
“The agreement will both relieve the victim of any further negative impacts from the pendency of this case and serve to protect the community given Dyal’s advanced age and incapacity,” the SAO wrote in a memo.
The victim was not in court, but according to the State Attorney’s Office, her friend read her statement.
The statement said, in part, “When I close my eyes, and allow my mind to think back to 1979, 80, 81 (and on), I see the visions of a small, frail, hopeless girl. That girl is me. I’m uneasy, worried, angry, hurt, but mostly confused.”
She talked about how the actions followed her into adulthood.
“Even after growing up physically and no longer looking like that little girl who was so easily overpowered, the scars from torment stayed with me,” the victim said in her statement to the court.
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She concluded, noting that she had support that helped her to heal through her pain.
“In the end, I overcame,” she said. “I have people who love me, a husband who protects me, family and friends who support my heart in ways I never imagined. I’ve healed so much, and every day I get stronger because of moments like now.”
Read the full victim impact statement below: