Jon Paul Sheptock, a 49-year-old Christian musician and worship minister at First Montgomery Baptist Church in Texas, once shared a stage with former President Donald Trump, singing the national anthem at a 2022 campaign rally.
He even smiled for photos alongside Trump, a moment that seemed to mark a high point in his public life. But that image shattered recently when Sheptock was arrested on deeply troubling charges of producing child sexual abuse materials, leaving his community reeling.
Sheptock, who also ministered to women in a local prison, was taken into custody after a months-long investigation by the Montgomery County Constable Precinct 3’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Unit.
The investigation began in August 2025, when authorities received information that Sheptock was allegedly in possession of and creating explicit materials involving a child under 18. According to reports, the materials included “videos and images of a child engaged in sexual conduct,” painting a grim picture of the accusations against him.
One alleged victim, who was 17 at the time, claimed Sheptock accessed a photo of her from her iCloud without permission. She said he then pressed her for more explicit images and sent her a disturbing video of someone being assaulted, paired with a veiled threat implying he didn’t want that to happen to her. The allegations don’t stop there—Sheptock is also accused of showing her multiple nude photos of both adults and young girls he had stored.
The news hit First Montgomery Baptist Church like a thunderbolt. The church swiftly removed Sheptock from all his duties, emphasizing that he had limited involvement with children, typically only in large group settings with other adults present.
“We have no information suggesting any children in our care were involved,” the church said in a statement, while pledging to take every step to protect their community and preserve the integrity of their ministry. They didn’t shy away from the gravity of the situation, calling the accusations a “grievous sin” that has left their congregation and the families of potential victims heartbroken.
Authorities, after a thorough investigation, charged Sheptock with promotion of child pornography, a third-degree felony. The case, detailed in reports from outlets like KTRK and The Independent, has sent shockwaves through those who knew him as a worship leader and public figure. For a man who once stood in the spotlight of a Trump rally, the fall from grace has been stark, leaving a community to grapple with betrayal and the weight of such serious allegations.