Police hauled worship pastor Will Johnson away in handcuffs, then charged him with “surveilling an unclothed person,” among other things. He admitted hiding a camera in one of the church bathrooms. He was also fired, a top 2|42 Community Church official relates in a formal statement.
Peeping pastor arrested
According to Eric Rauch, who serves as executive pastor of ministry operations for 2|42 Community Church, “a staff member reported to the congregation’s leadership” that a camera had been found hidden inside “a non-public, unisex bathroom in the backstage area.”
That would be at the campus in Brighton, Michigan. The budding “megachurch” also has branches in Ann Arbor, Lansing, Livonia, Monroe, Saginaw and Taylor.
Johnson was arrested on Friday, September 13 after he “confessed to church leadership that he had placed the camera in the bathroom.”
Administrators instantly notified the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office who took him into custody without incident. The peeping pastor was “immediately terminated by the church.”
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this situation, as the protection, safety and privacy of every person who enters our church is our priority,” Rauch assures congregants. Don’t let that one bad pastor affect your monthly tithing.
They’re “cooperating fully with the sheriff’s office investigation.” Not only that, they’re “taking proactive steps, including engaging with a third-party investigator, to ensure the safety of all our facilities.”
Up to eight years
Court records indicate that the 37-year-old pastor was charged with “tampering with evidence, surveilling an unclothed person, a felony, and using a computer to commit a crime.”
A judge in the 53rd District Court set Johnson’s bond at $250,000.
It looks like the pastor is scheduled for court next on September 24 and it’s not clear if he has an attorney at this point. Authorities relate that he’s in a lot of trouble.
Apparently, he had one particular victim in mind for filming, which is why the camera was in the specific restroom it was found, which wasn’t one of the ones meant for general public use.
If the perverted pastor is convicted on everything he’s charged with, he’s looking at up to eight years in prison.
That would be “up to four years in prison for the tampering with evidence charge, up to two years for surveilling an unclothed person, and up to two years for using a computer to commit a crime.“
