FRANKLIN -- A 38-year-old borough man and youth pastor at a church in Oak Ridge was arrested after authorities say he used social media to conduct sexually explicit chats with underage girls and had more than 100 images of child porn in his possession.

FRANKLIN -- A 38-year-old borough man and youth pastor at a church in Oak Ridge was arrested after authorities say he used social media apps to conduct sexually explicit chats with underage girls and had more than 100 images of child porn in his possession.

Darryl Farrier was charged Friday with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree possession of child pornography following a joint investigation by Vernon and Franklin police departments and the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office that began in July.

Farrier, who resides in Franklin, is listed as the youth pastor at Freedom Church, formerly known as the Philadelphia Church, an evangelical church in Morris County. On his LinkedIn page, he indicates that he has worked at Selective Insurance in Branchville as a business development supervisor since 2012.

On July 25, the Vernon Township Police Department received a report that a 24-year-old male named "Matt" had been speaking to a 15-year-old female, whose name is redacted from the affidavit of Farrier's arrest, and was attempting to meet with her at a local deli.

During the course of the investigation, officers learned that the female had met with "Matt" the prior Sunday at about 3 a.m., the affidavit states.

As part of the investigation, officers conducted a search of the female's phone and attempted to view chats on the social media app Whisper between the female and "Matt."

An investigator was able to determine that "Matt" was Farrier through the use of a software recovery program, details from an individual at Whisper and a supoena on the login IP address on the account, the affidavit states.

The affidavit says that Farrier and the female began conversing at 6:22 a.m. July 19. Their last message was at 9:29 p.m. July 20. The conversation was sexual in nature, as they discussed meeting at a location to perform sexual acts.

The affidavit states that Farrier referred to himself as a 37-year-old from Franklin and she indicated to him that she was 15.

On Aug. 10, detectives executed a search warrant of Farrier's home and located an iPod, thumb drive and other electronics. A forensic examination revealed more than 100 images depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of minors under the age of 18, the affidavit states.

A further investigation revealed that Farrier was attempting to locate two local females by name through the internet, both under the age of 18, the affidavit states.

Sexually charged conversations between females who stated they were under the age of 18 were also found on Farrier's computer, the affidavit states.

The Sussex County Prosecutor's Office indicated that Farrier is alleged to have used other social media apps, including Kik and Meet Me, to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors and used various screennames, including "Doug," "Hangten0," "Pallyi_Possum," "Dmann4789" and "Dmann347."

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incidents or who has had contact with Farrier to call the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office High Tech Crimes Unit at 973-383-1570.

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Lori Comstock can also be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.