Indiana National Guard member charged after investigation into child sex abuse material found on Snapchat

PENDLETON, Ind. — A Pendleton man who is a member of the Indiana National Guard has been charged after he reportedly had child sex abuse material on his Snapchat account.

On Thursday, 24-year-old Jonathan Peternel was arrested and charged with the following in Madison County:

• One count of child exploitation, a Level 4 felony
• Two counts of possession of child sex abuse material, each a Level 5 felony
• One count of possession of child sex abuse material, a Level 6 felony.

According to a news release from the Hamilton County Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, an investigation into Peternel began after a cybertip was sent to the task force from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The tip, submitted by Snapchat, reportedly showed five files of “suspected child sex abuse material involving prepubescent children.”

Law enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for the Snapchat account, which reportedly unveiled more child sex abuse material, as well as alleged evidence that Peternel was “disseminating videos to other users.”

According to court documents, Peternel belonged to a Snapchat group named “Diddy disciples” and law enforcement officials found chat logs that were allegedly between Peternel and another user where alleged distribution of these files occurred.

In a search of Peternel’s home, the release claims that further evidence was found in relation to the investigation, including more than 200 files of child sex abuse material. This included photorealistic AI-generated photos, along with other files.

Law enforcement officials conducted an interview with Paternel. The documents said that when he was told that officials were investigating child exploitation and cihld pornography allegations, Paternel “requested to speak with an attorney.”

The release said that Peternel is being held at the Madison County Jail. Peternel’s initial hearing in Madison County occurred on Thursday afternoon.