Church deacon sentenced to 22 years in prison for filming underage boys using restroom

PERRY, Fla. (WCJB) - The deacon of a church in Perry was sentenced to 22 years behind bars on Tuesday after being found guilty of producing child pornography.

Jonathan High, 31, of Steinhatchee, was found guilty at a bench trial on Oct. 4. Law enforcement received a cyber tip in August 2021 regarding child pornography uploaded to a cloud server connected to High’s account.

Investigators used a warrant to search his electronic devices. They found multiple child pornography images and videos that depicted prepubescent boys engaged in sex acts or exposing their genitals in a lascivious manner.

RELATED: Florida church deacon convicted of creating child porn

They determined High produced some of the videos himself. On two separate occasions, Perry recorded two young boys using a restroom at the church in Perry where High served as a deacon.

Once High has served his 22-year prison sentence, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

“Child predators seek to prey upon our children in any setting imaginable – in this instance from inside a house of worship,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “As such, we must remain vigilant. This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.”

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