Ex-Student Pastor Accused & Arrested For Sending Nude Pics To Underage Girl And Is Suspected For 20 Others
Timothy “Timmy” Jeltema, a 28-year-old ex-student pastor at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Tomball, Texas, has been accused of sending nude photos of himself to a minor, as KPRC Click 2 Houston reports. The girl’s family and church alerted authorities on June 9, and Timothy Jeltema was arrested on June 12 for the solicitation of a minor. The suspect is still behind bars and is being held without bond. The Tomball Police Department says that the young girl received numerous nude photos from Jeltema, and according to the KPRC report, the minor says that he requested that she send him explicit photos and asked to have sex with her.
As ABC13 documented, and as seen in the Tomball Police Department video below, detectives believe that Jeltema has requested nude photos of 20 to 25 other young girls between the ages of 14 and 17. Police say that several more juveniles have come forward with accusations, and that they may not all be church members. As a student pastor, Timothy made several out-of-state trips to New Orleans, Louisiana, and Panama City, Florida. Jeltema, originally from Clearwater, Florida, used the below social media handles on Snapchat and Instagram. The Tomball Police Department is requesting that anyone who is following the accounts, or anyone who has be contacted by Jeltema, to call Detective Smith at 281-290-1315.
- b.rice12
- b.rice120
- b.rice100
- b.rice1000
- eneeley35
As Click 2 Houston reported, Champion Forest Baptist Church released a statement.
“Jeltema’s employment with us was terminated on May 15, 2018, the same day he was accused of, and admitted to, improper contact via social media with an 18-year-old member of our church. Though no laws were known to have been broken at that time, he was immediately dismissed for a clear violation of the church’s written code of conduct and his admission that he did not follow Champion Forest policies and regulations that pastors of students and adult volunteers must never communicate electronically one-on-one with students.”
Ex-student minister accused of sending nude pics to underage girl. Police say there might be up to 25 additional victims: https://t.co/4I7N1pMymc pic.twitter.com/VQI0VSvpuW
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) June 13, 2018
The statement specified that the church has many policies and procedures in place to protect their members, including a national background check that is performed on all staff and volunteers who work with children and youth up to the age of 18. The statement also read that Timothy’s recent arrest was from allegations that surfaced one month after his termination from Champion Forest Baptist Church, and that the church immediately reported the incident to law enforcement after a “teenage minor made claims against Jeltema of online sexual misconduct.”
