According to Fishers Indiana Police Department (FIPD), 24-year-old Jonathan Wesley Peternel, son of Pastor Nathan Peternel, was arrested on Oct. 23 and charged with seven felony counts related to child sex crimes.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of disturbing child sex crimes that some readers might find triggering.
Nathan Peternel is the lead pastor of Life Church, a multisite congregation in the Indianapolis area. The church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God.
“[Jonathan] Peternel, a resident of Pendleton, IN, was investigated by the Hamilton County Metro ICAC Task Force after receiving a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,” FIPD’s social media statement said. “The CyberTip submitted by Snapchat showed five files of suspected Child Sex Abuse Material involving prepubescent children.”
After serving a searching warrant on Peternel’s Snapchat account, FIPD shared that Hamilton County Metro ICAC Task Force discovered child sex abuse material (CSAM) that included evidence that “Peternel was disseminating videos to other users.”
That prompted authorities to conduct a search warrant at the 24-year-old’s residence where they found over “200 files of Child Sex Abuse Material.” The CSAM discovered included “sadomasochistic child abuse, children that appeared to be drugged or intoxicated while being abused, violent child molestation, and photorealistic AI-generated photos of nude pregnant toddlers.”
Sydney Byerly of The Indiana Citizen reported that detectives also discovered “more than 50 photos and videos were located on Peternel’s phone that appeared to show his parents nude or engaged in sex acts.”
Peternel was charged with one count of child exploitation (dissemination), a level 4 felony, two counts of possession of child sex abuse material, each a level 5 felony, and one count of possession of child sex abuse material, a level 6 felony.
Peternel, who is also a member of the Indiana National Guard, pleaded not guilty and is currently being held at the Madison County Jail on a $25,000 bond. According to court documents, a dispositional hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2026.
If convicted, Peternel could face more than 20 years in prison.
