A former Colorado pastor has been sentenced to two years in prison, after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, according to court records.

Jonathan Shaheen, who had previously served as a part-time pastor at TimberCreek Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child in February. He was sentenced Monday for his crime.

Shaheen allegedly received sexually explicit images of a 9-year-old and 5-year-old girl from a couple in New Mexico in 2022, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Denver Gazette..

Shaheen, 31, had served as a creative arts pastor at TimberCreek Church from 2021-2022, Lead Pastor Patrick Tanton told KRDO News. Shaheen was not employed at the church at the time of his arrest, nor was the church involved in the case in any way, the lead pastor noted.

“(The Colorado Springs Police Department) proactively communicated that his arrest has nothing to do with anyone at TimberCreek Church,” Tanton said.

Shaheen was arrested last fall after investigators say they learned he was communicating with a New Mexico couple who were allegedly exploiting their children, according to the arrest affidavit.

The affidavit said that Shaheen expressed interest via text message in having sexual intercourse with the two children and their mother.

The couple were allegedly sexually abusing their two young girls and creating and sharing child sexual abuse material of them, according to records obtained by 13 Investigates.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered Shaheen’s involvement with the New Mexico couple while executing a search warrant at the pair’s home and of their devices, the records report.

The FBI found messages on the devices from a phone number in California that used the alias “Josh Loverboy.” The number had received explicit photos of the children. Shaheen also allegedly texted about how he had previously had a relationship with the New Mexico woman, the records said.

Investigators traced the number back to Shaheen, according to the records. 

After discovering the messages, the FBI alerted the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) of the information.

CSPD then conducted a search warrant in a neighborhood in Colorado Springs and found enough evidence to take Shaheen into custody, Owen Scott, a lieutenant with the Colorado Springs Police Department told KKTV.

The couple in New Mexico has also been arrested, the FBI told KRDO.

Court records indicate that Shaheen initially pleaded not guilty to the charge but pleaded guilty in February.

Shaheen also previously worked at The School of Rock, a music store in Colorado Springs, a representative from the business told KRDO. The representative noted that Shaheen hadn’t been employed there since July 2023.

Lieutenant Scott said that police believe there are no further victims in this case.

“The true victim here is the children,” Scott added. “There’s so many different platforms on social media, and different apps, and different chats and different ways. People can get into someone’s personal life and really start to compromise their safety and well-being.”

Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.