A former Southern Baptist pastor received 12 life sentences after a Florida jury found him guilty of a dozen felony charges related to sexual assault and child pornography. These included two counts of capital sexual battery, five counts of producing child pornography, and five counts of possessing child pornography.
Two years ago, law enforcement received a tip that the senior pastor at Palm View First Baptist Church in Palmetto, Florida (SBC congregation) used cryptocurrency to buy child porn online. They executed a search warrant and seized multiple electronic devices that contained child pornography, including media that showed him sexually abusing a two-year-old child.
Elwing is married with four children, including one he recently adopted, According to a press release from the state attorney’s office:
Circuit Court Judge Ryan Felix sentenced the defendant to twelve life sentences, one for each count of which he was convicted. He was also designated a sexual predator. Three of the life sentences were ordered to be served consecutively, with the remaining sentences to run concurrent with each other.
A quick perusal of Elwing’s social media accounts showed that his church was enrolled in Founders Ministries church search (self-signed up) and he frequently shared quotes from Voddie Baucham, Jonathan Edwards, Matt Chandler, and Mark Driscoll. He has also railed against Guidepost Solutions, the group the SBC tasked with rooting out sexual abuse within the denomination.
