A Christian singer and worship leader born without arms has been taken into custody on serious allegations of possessing and producing child pornography.
Jon Paul Sheptock, 49, who previously served as the worship minister at First Montgomery Baptist Church in Texas, is now at the center of a disturbing investigation. Authorities revealed that his arrest followed an extended search that began when detectives first attempted to locate him at his residence in September.
Ryan Gable, constable at the Montgomery County Constable Precinct 3 office, said that members of the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Unit later found Sheptock working at a women’s correctional facility, where he also acted as a minister.
At a 2022 Donald Trump rally, Sheptock performed the national anthem before later posing for photographs with the former president and his son.
Later, court records revealed a statement from the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office, shared with ABC News, where the alleged victim testified that she believed Sheptock had stolen her photo nearly a decade ago, when she was 17.
“After the defendant (Sheptock) sent the image of the victim, he told her that he wanted more explicit images of her,” the affidavit read.
“The defendant (Sheptock) then sent her a video depicting someone being physically assaulted, accompanied by a statement implying that he did not want that to happen to her.”
According to investigators, Sheptock also showed the alleged victim multiple nude photographs of adults and young girls stored on his computer.
Court documents further revealed that the victim hesitated to report him due to “her parents’ strong religious beliefs,” fearing backlash for taking a nude photo of herself.
Sheptock had been a well-known figure in his community. The Baptist Press reported that his now-deleted website mentioned he was born with no arms and one leg shorter than the other. It also stated that he was married to his wife for 26 years and had three daughters. His Facebook profile photo featured his family alongside Donald Trump.
In his social media bio, Sheptock described how his love for singing began early in life: performing “Jesus Loves Me” at just three years old before his family’s congregation. He wrote about growing up with a disability, saying, “From that time on I knew this was something I wanted to do forever. As you might imagine growing up with a disability was very challenging. Often times I did not want to go to school knowing I would be made fun of, but God in His Grace blessed me with 2 loving Christian parents who encouraged me daily.”
The First Montgomery Baptist Church confirmed that Sheptock had been arrested “on charges related to child pornography” and was “removed” from all church responsibilities.
“He did not have responsibilities overseeing children in the church or school except occasionally in a large group setting with other adults,” the Church said in a statement. “At this point, we have no information that indicates any of the children in our care were involved, but we are taking every precaution to protect our kids and to maintain the integrity of our ministry.”
“We must be clear: what Jon is accused of is a grievous sin, and it is heartbreaking for all of our church family and the families of innocent children who may be involved,” the statement continued. “God’s Word says ‘there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed’ (Luke 8:17).
“We will not cover up sin, and we will not excuse it. We will fully cooperate with law enforcement and trust the judicial process.”
In an updated statement, the Church confirmed that a new allegation had been made by an adult member of the congregation.
“We are fully cooperating with Detective Alvarez in the Montgomery County Constable’s Office for Precinct 3, who is investigating the case, and have turned over what we know to her,” the Church spokesperson said. “It is still true to my knowledge that no children associated with our church or school have come forth or been identified as victims.”
