<div id="subtitle">Indiana man accused of sending lewd text messages about Ashanti to her mom's cell phone</div><div><p>An Indiana fitness trainer deluged Ashanti's mother with crude text messages about the R&B star, peppering his comments with graphic photos and a picture of her family home, authorities said in a court case that could go to trial next week.</p><p>Devar Hurd, 31, sent the Grammy-winning singer's mother and her husband dozens of messages to their cell phones before his July arrest, a detective said in papers filed in state court in Manhattan.</p><p>The messages gushed lewdly about Ashanti's performances and jealously lamented her relationship with the rapper Nelly, the court papers said. They said one message included a photo of her mother's home and asked about coming over to visit; another mentioned seeing her car when he went to a performance of "The Wiz." Ashanti starred in an off-Broadway revival of the musical this summer.</p><p>Hurd, 31, has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $50,000 bond. His lawyer, Richard Verchick, declined to comment Wednesday. Relatives said they were mystified by the charges against Hurd, a gym worker and former janitor from Griffith, Ind.</p><p>Ashanti spokeswoman Judy Katz said the singer and her family feel authorities have taken care of the issue and decline to comment further.</p><p>Hurd's text messages interspersed explicit sexual scenarios — sometimes accompanied by photos of male genitals — with career advice, accounts of his workouts and dreamy romantic visions, according to the court papers.</p><p>"I had a nice dream about us shani," he wrote in June, according to the papers. "We was at your place and had a event and u was singing. I was feeling so good because we was finally past this and living together."</p><p>A July message said his mental state "is very fragile with all this," the court papers said.</p><p>While most of the messages were apparently directed at Ashanti, a few seemed to address her mother, Tina Douglas, and sister, Kenashia.</p><p>Tina Douglas told Hurd to stop contacting her in February after he called repeatedly, according to the court papers. It's unclear how he might have gotten her cell phone number.</p><p>"As far as I know, he doesn't know these people," sister-in-law Kim Hurd said by phone Wednesday. "He's not in the music business. He's really a regular old person."</p><p>It's unclear whether Ashanti, 29, would be called to testify if the case goes to trial.</p><p>Raised in Glen Cove, N.Y., the multiplatinum-selling singer got her first record deal at 14; her hits include "Foolish" and "Only U." She has appeared in films including "Coach Carter" and "John Tucker Must Die."</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=65117198&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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