Former Middle GA youth pastor linked to 150+ explicit Snapchats, records show
Investigators found more than 150 explicit photos and videos linked to the Snapchat account of a former Monroe County youth pastor facing child pornography charges, Pennsylvania State Police records show.
John Tyler Moreland, 30, a former youth pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church, allegedly contacted children, instructed them to record themselves nude and send him photos and videos, according to a criminal complaint filed by Pennsylvania State Police on April 10.
Moreland faces five warrants from the Pennsylvania State Police on charges of photograph/film/depiction computer sex act - knowingly or permitting child, child sexual abuse material, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of communication facility and corruption of minors.
Moreland, a Macon native, was arrested April 10 at a relative’s residence in Houston County in connection with a Pennsylvania child pornography investigation, as previously reported by The Telegraph. Moreland was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service in Houston County. At the time, he was being held without bond as he awaited extradition to Pennsylvania.
Police said Wednesday Moreland awaits a hearing but did not provide further details.
How the investigation started
Pennsylvania police were called to a Lycoming County home on Dec. 27, 2025, to investigate “concerning images” a mother found on her 10-year-old child’s phone, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim’s mother told police she became concerned after seeing “the nature of comments” on a TikTok video her son made. After taking his phone, she discovered Snapchat images depicting her son alongside pornographic material, according to the complaint.
On Dec. 16, 2025, Moreland reportedly sent the victim a friend request and asked if he had a bathroom in his house, according to police. His Snapchat account was under the name “James,” but investigators said he pretended to be a girl named “Alexis” or “Amanda” using her brother’s phone, the complaint said.
The victim said he did not know “James” outside of Snapchat, the complaint said.
After obtaining search warrants for the suspect’s and victim’s Snapchat accounts and reviewing both sent and received media, investigators found 135 videos and about 20 images of “nude and exposed genitalia of pubescent boys, pre-pubescent boys, and at least one diapered male toddler” sent between various victims and Moreland, the complaint said.
Moreland would allegedly tell the victims to go into a bedroom or bathroom in their house before “soliciting nude images and video from the children,” the complaint said. “The suspect also sent nude and clothed images or video of unknown females to the young boys to give the impression they were talking to a girl.”
Location data obtained by investigators showed the device was mostly used at the Lofts At Zebulon apartment complex in Macon, according to the complaint. The data also showed the device at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Monroe County for about 1.5 hours on Dec. 22, 2025.
Records show police contacted the church on March 31, 2026, and were told no services or events were scheduled on Dec. 22.
“This in turn meant there was no reason for anyone outside of church staff to be present at the church,” according to the complaint.
Trooper Josiah Reiner, with the Pennsylvania State Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit, told The Telegraph in an email Wednesday that he does not know of any victims in Georgia, but law enforcement is pursuing other areas to investigate at this time.
“The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is currently investigating if any offenses were committed in Georgia,” the office said in an April 14 news release. “Search warrants have been obtained for devices in Monroe and Bibb County.”
Upon learning of Moreland’s arrest, the Mount Zion Baptist church said it immediately terminated him and will continue to offer full and unrestricted access to law enforcement throughout the investigation to ensure that all concerns are promptly addressed.
Moreland had been employed in the church since June 2025, with completed background checks not showing any indication of prior misconduct or concerning behavior, the church said in a previously provided statement.
“Like many in our community, our church family is devastated and heartbroken by these events,” the church said. “Our prayers and focus remain on the healing of our church family, our community, and all who have been impacted by these events.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 3:25 PM.