Sex Crimes — Pendleton, IN — reported 2026-07-10
SUMMARY
Jonathan Peternel was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child sex abuse material and one felony count of child exploitation.
KEY FACTS
- Incident type: Sex Crimes
- Location: Pendleton, IN
- Date reported: 2026-07-10
- Suspect: male, age 24
REPORTED DETAILS
- Jonathan Peternel, 24, pleaded guilty to one felony count of child exploitation and three felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
- The investigation started with a tip called into the Hamilton County Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
- Forensic analysis uncovered more than 200 files of suspected child sexual abuse material, including sadomasochistic child abuse and photorealistic AI-generated images depicting nude minors.
- Peternel's phone contained over 50 photos and videos that appeared to show his parents nude or engaged in sexual acts.
- Police documented chat logs suggesting distribution of explicit material in a Snapchat group called 'Diddy Disciples'.