ISLAMORADA (FL)
Keys News [Key West, FL]
July 23, 2024
By Citizen staff
A former Islamorada pastor serving as senior pastor of Palm View Baptist Church in Manatee County has been charged with 18 counts relating to child sexual abuse and child pornography.
Jonathan Elwing, 43, was charged earlier this month with two counts of capital sexual battery, six counts of production of child sexual abuse material and six counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. He was previously charged in June with four counts of possession of child sexual abuse images, the Sheriff’s Office stated.
The alleged criminal activity happened while Elwing was pastor of the Palmetto-based church on Florida’s west coast. He resigned from his job before his arrest, according to authorities.
Elwing was pastor at First Baptist Church of Islamorada from 2012 to 2019. An email sent to The Keys Citizen’s sister newspaper, the Florida Keys Free Press, by a self-described concerned citizen asked the paper to make local readers aware of the allegations against Elwing.
“Since he was the pastor in Islamorada for seven years, I think this should be reported in the Keys in case there are victims here,” the email stated. “Parents need to be made aware of it in case any of their children were involved.”
A forensic search of Elwing’s cellphone revealed a private photo app used to hide at least 14 photos of him sexually abusing a 2-year-old, the Bradenton Herald reported. The discovery took place after Elwing was charged with having four sexually explicit photos of children on his phone following a tip that he used cryptocurrency to buy such material, the Herald reported.
Prior to his arrest, Elwing was a member of the Florida chapter of the Conservative Baptist Network (CBN), a group formed in 2020 to address what it believed to be a liberal drift in the denomination, according to churchleaders.com. Elwing’s CBN membership was revoked after his arrest.
Elwing is being held without bond in Manatee County.
Anyone with information about crimes that may involve Elwing can call Manatee County Crime Stoppers at 866-634-8477.