Pennsylvania judge rejects ex-pastor's plea for 'volume discount' after sentencing him to 80 years in prison for sex crime

By Jonah Hicap
Christian Today
January 17, 2016

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Pennsylvania Senior Judge William Platt says Jonathan Masteller abused his position as a coach and pastor.

A Pennsylvania appeals court has flatly rejected the appeal of a convicted pastor and basketball coach to reduce his sentence of up to 80 years in prison for sexually abusing a boy multiple times.

Jonathan Masteller, a former Lancaster County youth pastor, was convicted in November 2014 of various charges including indecent assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse on a 13-year-old boy and was sentenced to 25 1/5 to 80 years in prison.

The state Superior Court denied Masteller's claim that his sentence was excessive, according to Penn Live and Raw Story. Masteller also served as basketball coach at Pequea Valley School District.

He was the victim's basketball coach and youth pastor, according to the court decision handed down on Tuesday written by Senior Judge William Platt.

His abuse of the boy was discovered in November 2013 when a pastor at the Family Center in Gap found incriminating photos of Masteller and the boy while he was doing maintenance work on Masteller's computer.

The victim eventually told the police about the abuse. Masteller later admitted the crime, including his use of his cell phone to take photos of the molestation. The pastor pleaded guilty to charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, possession of child pornography, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors without having a sentencing deal with prosecutors.

The county judge who handed down the decision also described Masteller as a sexually violent predator.

Masteller appealed his sentence, saying it was too harsh because the judge didn't weigh factors including his disadvantaged childhood, mental health problems, that he was sexually abused as a child as well, and that he was remorseful.

But the Superior Court rebuked Masteller, saying he abused his position as a coach and pastor.

"The abuse only stopped because a third party discovered the pictures and contacted police," Platt wrote, adding that Masteller "is not entitled to a 'volume discount' for his crimes."