Florida pastor charged with sexually abusing kids as young as 2, faces 18 felony counts
New child sexual abuse and child pornography charges have been brought up against a Florida pastor who was arrested last week for possession of child porn and now faces 18 felony charges.
Jonathan Elwing, 43, of Palmetto, has been charged with two counts of capital sexual battery, six counts of production of child sexual abuse material and six counts of child porn possession, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Those are in addition to the four counts of possession of child sexual abuse images he was charged with earlier this month after law enforcement received information that the pastor used cryptocurrency to purchase the images online.
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A forensic search of Elwing's cell phone found images of him sexually battering a child and the production and possession of 12 images of child pornography, reports the Sarasota-based WWSB ABC 7.
Authorities expect more charges in the near future, the outlet notes.
"I can't stress this enough, this is a monster," Sheriff Rick Wells said during a press conference. "He went into that church professing to be a man of God. But really, he is nothing more than a liar and a sexual predator."
"He would abuse anyone at anytime," Wells added. "There doesn't seem to be a limit to what he is capable of."
Police say one of the photos shows Elwing abusing a 2-year-old, according to WWSB. Authorities also say they found eight to 10 hidden cameras in his home and his church office.
Elwing resigned from his position as senior pastor at Palm View Baptist Church before his arrest by detectives in the sheriff's office's Internet Crimes Against Children division.
Palm View Baptist Church acknowledged Elwing's arrest on social media, saying it would "make a statement in due time." The church has not posted on Facebook since June 20 and didn't respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
Palm View Baptist Church describes itself as a "close-knit community and a loving family" and a "diverse group of people committed to following Jesus" and is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
The congregation totals nearly 200 members, according to WWSB. Leaders informed the church via a brief statement about Elwing's arrest and the charges.
"We'd had a pastor of 41 years that Jonathan replaced, and by all accounts, he was the guy, and he seemed to be doing a good job," Deacon Chair Larry Bianchi said, as quoted by the outlet.
"What he's accused of is about the worst in the world, you know, he could've been dealing in fentanyl and not been as bad as what he's into," said another church member, reported WWSB.
Nicole VanDyke is a reporter for The Christian Post.
