PALMETTO (FL)
WFLA [Tampa FL]
April 22, 2026
By Nathaniel Rodriguez
A former Palmetto pastor will be spending the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty on multiple sex crimes against children.
On Wednesday, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced that Jonathan Elwing was found guilty of all twelve of his criminal charges, which included capital sexual battery, the production of child sex abuse material (CSAM), and possession of CSAM.
“He was subsequently sentenced to three consecutive life sentences,” the sheriff’s office said.
Palmetto church in shock after pastor arrested on child porn charges
Elwing was first arrested in June 2024, after detectives learned that the defendant, a senior pastor at Palm View First Baptist Church in Palmetto at the time, used cryptocurrency to purchase CSAM.
Detectives searched the church and Elwing’s home on June 21, 2024, finding four explicit images of children on his cellphone. He resigned from the church before his arrest.
Upon further investigation, detectives found more images on the former pastor’s phone that depicted him raping a child and 12 other CSAM images.
Elwing’s arrest sent shockwaves in his former congregation.
“Personally, I keep thinking it is a really bad dream, and I am going to wake up from it, but unfortunately, this happens in society,” Deacon Larry Bianchi told 8 On Your Side in 2024. “It happens more often than not in places where children can be seen. There’s a lot of children in church.”