DECATUR (IL)
Wand17 TV [Decatur IL]
July 22, 2025
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A former church youth leader from Decatur is accused of sexually abusing underage girls, and prosecutors say it’s been going on for over a decade.
[Warning: Details contained in this story may be disturbing for readers]
Jonathan D. Lyon, 31, is accused of sexually abusing girls as young 12.
He appeared in Macon County Circuit Court July 18 on three counts of criminal sexual abuse.
The Decatur Police Department arrested Lyon on July 16 following an investigation that also included the Clinton Police Department.
In 2023, an information report showed Facebook messages between Lyon and a friend at the time where Lyon admitting to sexually abusing underage girls. This came after an alleged victim contacted Lyon’s friend to warn him about his behavior.
The messages reportedly said:
- “Did you know your friend likes little girls?”
- “I bet you didn’t. He’s so good at acting normal and making it all feel like it’s a normal happy relationship.”
- “It’s not, please. I’m begging you. If you see him speak or around anyone who’s younger please stop him.”
- “I’m not going to tell anyone about our situation, but I don’t want him doing it to anyone else.”
Lyon’s friend messaged the girl back asking if anything physical happened. She replied:
- “Yeah. A lot”
- “I feel gross.”
- “I don’t know what to do, but I don’t want him in jail.”
- “I just also don’t want him to do it to anyone else.”
- “Please make sure he doesn’t do it to anyone else.”
- “I don’t want him in trouble.”
- “I just don’t want him to do it again.”
The friend replied, “If you don’t go to the police right now then I will.”
The girl messaged:
- “Please don’t.”
- I don’t want him trouble.”
- “Did you now he and me had a relationship?”
- He told me once that he told you he was going to be with me.” ‘
The friend answered, “No I didn’t.”
She continued:
- “We started dating when i turned 16. He told me it was normal and I was the first one who ever cared and loved him.”
- “I always wanted to hang out with him and you and [redacted] because you guys sounded fun.”
- “I’m sorry for spamming you. I just don’t feel right.”
- “Can you ask him to delete every picture and video of me. He’s not answering me.”
- “I really want everything deleted off his phone.”
The friend told police he had never met the girl, and her reaching out over Facebook messenger was the first time he had talked to her. He told police Lyon met the girl through their church, Grace Baptist Church.
That friend’s roommate, who was also friends with Lyon at the time also had a text exchange with Lyon about the allegations.
The friend said:
- “[Redacted] and then [redacted]. Wow dude. I don’t associated with people who continuously get into sexual relationships with underage girls. The cops will be involved. Lose my number.”
Lyon responded:
- “Ight [sic]”
- “I f***** up multiple times. It wasn’t even on purpose. I just don’t know what made me want those relationships.”
- “Please don’t get them involved. I’ll never do it again.”
On April 26, 2023, Decatur police detectives spoke with the victim who was currently 18 years old. She said she met Lyon at the church she and her mother attended, Grace Baptist Church. She said when she was 17, Lyon sent messages trying to start a relationship with her. She said they started dating but did not initiate a sexual relationship until she turned 18. Lyon was 29 at the time.
The girl told police she had heard rumors that Lyon had a desire to be with underage girls, so she broke off the relationship.
Another victim told police multiple sexual encounters happened in Clinton in 2018 when that girl was 14 and Lyon was 24. The girl told police there was another 14-year-old girl who went to Grace Baptist Church who abruptly stopped coming. She said when she asked the pastor’s wife about it she was told that the girl was trying to have a relationship with Lyon, but “she was 14 and that was not okay.”
That girl was contacted by Clinton police. She told them she did not want to participate in the investigation but that if other girls came forward police needed to listen due to Lyon being “creepy.”
Decatur police also contacted one of Lyon’s friends who came forward to tell them Lyon may have had an encounter with his sister.
The sister contacted DPD and told them that in 2010 when she was 11 years old, she met Lyon, who was 17 at the time, through her brother. She said he would ask if she had a boyfriend.
When she turned 12 (Lyon was 18), she said the two started dating. She said from the time she was 12 to 14 years old, she would sneak out of her home, and Lyon would pick her up and take her to the park to engage in sexual activity. She said Lyon would have her perform oral sex. She said he tried to have intercourse with her one time but was unable to “due to her being too small.”
She said one time when they were in a trailer park, police officers approached their vehicle. She said Lyon told the officers he was her youth leader and the two were just “discussing the word of God.” The victim could not remember the year but said it was between 2011 and 2013. She provided police with a screen shot of the Facebook account Lyon used to message her. She said Lyon would take photographs of her naked. She said the “relationship” ended when she was 14 years old.
DPD contacted Clinton police. Clinton PD said that on March 15, 2022, they had a suspicious vehicle call about three people at a park, with Lyon being one of the people involved. Police contacted a girl who was also involved. She said she was 16 at the time and another girl with them who was also 16 was dating Lyon. She said the two engaged in sex in the car. She told police they had been together for “a year or more.”
Decatur police received 54 images from one of the victims that were screenshot photographs of a conversation between her and another victim between April 23, 2023 and April 27, 2023. The conversations involved them talking about Lyon having sex with a 16-year-old, making her go into his vehicle at the YMCA and mentioned having “miscarriages” a few months prior to the messages.
Decatur police detectives also spoke with the pastor at Grace Baptist Church and his wife. They told police there were several incidents of question with Lyon. In 2019, he was seen texting and using Snapchat with a 15-year-old. The pastor said he did not believe there was anything inappropriate in the videos but that he did not allow the messaging due to Lyon being 24 or 25 at the time.
The pastor went on to say he went through Lyon’s messages and saw texts like “what are you doing,” “I can’t sleep,” and asking for photographs of his dog. The pastor again said he saw nothing of concern and that neither the girl nor her mother ever said anything.
A second incident happened in 2021 or 2022 where the pastor’s wife found inappropriate videos on Lyon’s TikTok account. She said one of the videos were of women doing sexual things like licking things and Lyon would duet them doing an action of slamming a credit card down, insinuating he wanted to pay for those actions.
She said another video Lyon made appeared to be him alluding to underage girls.
When they confronted him about the videos, Lyon was told he could no longer act as youth leader. They said he admitted to having a porn addiction and agreed to counseling, which he did not complete, and ultimately left the church.
Lyon was arrested July 16, 2025 during a traffic stop.
When questioned, police said he admitted to having sexual contact and exchanging messages with underage girls.
WAND News has reached out to Grace Baptist Church for comment.
Lyon was let out on pretrial release. He is due back in court on Aug. 22.
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