Prosecutors have revealed that a former Florida Keys pastor is now facing charges related to child sexual abuse and child pornography. Police reportedly uncovered disturbing images of his crimes.
Jonathan Elwing, formerly a pastor at Islamorada’s First Baptist Church for seven years, has been arrested on June 20 on multiple serious charges. These charges include sexual battery, production of child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material.
On July 10, a grand jury indicted him on the charge of sexual battery of a child.
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An investigation was initiated after detectives received information that Elwing had reportedly used cryptocurrency funds to purchase illicit material on the dark web. Authorities obtained a search warrant and uncovered disturbing images on the 43-year-old’s cell phone, revealing the heinous act of sexually assaulting a toddler, as stated in court documents.
According to investigators, Elwing’s phone was found to contain multiple images of child pornography, contradicting his claim of deleting any inappropriate material.
Authorities have reported that law enforcement discovered evidence of a heinous crime involving the sexual abuse of a 2-year-old infant, which was also recorded. According to prosecutors, he allegedly used a private photo vault app to conceal a number of photos showing him engaging in sexual abuse of a child.
A person convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Florida can receive a life sentence without the chance of parole as reported by Miami New Times.
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