Indiana Pastor’s Son Sentenced to 6 Years After Discovery of More Than 200 Explicit Files

The son of an Indiana pastor was sentenced to six years in prison on February 20 after pleading guilty to child exploitation charges.

Jonathan Peternel, 24, of Pendleton in Madison County, entered a guilty plea in January to one Level 4 felony count of child exploitation and three felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, according to Indiana Citizen.

His father, Nathan Peternel, remains listed as lead pastor at Life Church, prompting media scrutiny.

Nathan Peternel, a longtime mentor to Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, initially took a leave of absence following his son’s arrest in January. Peternel and Beckwith co-led church initiatives and co-hosted the podcast "Jesus, Sex & Politics". No new episodes have aired since the arrest, and two episodes, including one focused on child abuse and sex trafficking, have since been removed.

The Hamilton County Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to the social media platform Snapchat from Peternal's account.

A subsequent forensic analysis uncovered more than 200 files of suspected child sexual abuse material at his residence. Investigators also identified a Snapchat group titled “Diddy Disciples” that contained multiple explicit files.

Madison Superior Court 6 Judge Mark Dudley sentenced Peternel to six years on the Level 4 felony child exploitation charge, along with three years each for two Level 5 felony possession charges and one year for a Level 6 felony possession charge. All sentences will run concurrently, resulting in a total six-year term.

Peternel will serve four years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with two years suspended to probation. He is also required to register as a lifetime s- offender, according to Indiana Citizen.

He did not post bond and remained in custody throughout his court proceedings.

A number of church members attended the hearing, sitting alongside Peternel’s parents as the court delivered the sentence.

Peternel addressed the courtroom before his sentencing. “Your honor first I want to say that I’m deeply sorry. I hate my sin that I’ve committed,” he said. “I want to apologize to anybody who has fallen victim to my behavior.”

He told his parents: “I’m sorry for putting you in this humiliating situation. You’ve been dishonored, your wonderful reputations have been ruined and your names have been dragged through the mud all because I cared about myself more than you.”

“I promise to spend the rest of my life fighting the wickedness that I participated in,” he said. “Through faith in the Lord, I trust that your sentence will be proper.”

Peternel said he recommitted his life to Christianity. He claimed he participated in daily Bible studies with his cellmates and completed a 12-step addiction recovery program.