Johnson County church elder arrested in sex sting operation
Jake AllenA Johnson County church elder is facing child sex crime charges after he was arrested Tuesday, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Nicholas Jackson, 39, was employed by Grace Bible Church in New Whiteland and assisted with mission trips, he told police in court documents.
Officials with the Grace Bible Church did not respond to questions from IndyStar before publication of this article.
Jackson was charged with child solicitation, possession of child pornography and attempt to commit dissemination of matter harmful to minors. He was arrested as part of a sex sting operation conducted by Johnson County law enforcement agencies in November 2023, which included the arrest of an off-duty Indianapolis firefighter and 20 other men.
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Jackson became known to law enforcement in November when he messaged an undercover detective, who was posing as an underage girl in a chatroom called “Bargersville friends,” according to the probable cause affidavit for Jackson’s arrest.
He identified himself to who he thought was the underage girl as “Nick from Bargersville, happily married, two children. Work at a local church, and a seminary student!,” the affidavit reads.
The undercover detective told Jackson he was messaging a 14-year-old girl, and he acknowledged the age several times in the conversations and stated he wanted to meet her in person, the affidavit states.
Jackson requested photos of the girl in her “birthday suit,” according to the affidavit.
The detective sent a stock image of a fully clothed female and Jackson made sexual comments about the photo and continued to request to meet up with the girl, police said.
Jackson also sent audio recordings and pictures of his genitals to the undercover detective, which police believe he took in his office at church. Jackson later drove to an apartment complex, where he was told the girl lived, then got nervous and left at one point, according to the affidavit.
Police found child pornography on one of Jackson's electronic devices, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. He surrendered to police after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
An attorney for Jackson was not yet listed in online court records before publication of this article.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.