Michigan Pastor Fired, Criminally Charged for Hidden Bathroom Camera
Will Johnson worked as worship pastor director of 2|42 Community Church
Police have arrested and charged a former pastor of a Livingston County, Michigan, megachurch after he confessed to placing a hidden video recording device in a unisex bathroom for church staff and volunteers.
Local News Channel 3 reports that Will Johnson, who served as worship pastor director for the Brighton campus of the nondenominational multi-site 2|42 Community Church, was charged on Sept. 15 with surveilling an unclothed person, destroying evidence and using a computer to commit a crime.
Two days prior, Johnson had confessed to church leaders that he had planted the camera with the intent to secretly record people. The church fired Johnson and reported the crime to the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office.
Johnson was then arrested at his home in Howell, and all electronic devices were seized from the premises for forensic analysis.
During his interrogation, Johnson elaborated that he had installed the camera periodically over a two-year period to spy on specific individuals. No other cameras were believed to be hidden in the church. However, 2|42 Community Church brought in a third-party company to conduct a sweep of its seven locations to catch any devices they may have missed. So far, none have been found.
“It’s devastating,” said 2|42 Community Church Executive Pastor Eric Rauch. “We care so deeply about our community. We so deeply want our community to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ and your world gets flipped upside down.”
The day of Johnson’s arrest, the church released a statement on social media informing the public of the incident and asking for prayers for the victims and the church.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this crime and violation of our community,” the statement read. “The protection, safety, and privacy of every person who enters our church is our priority. We are fully cooperating with the sheriff’s office as this is an ongoing investigation.”
The church then created a web page dedicated to posting “the most up-to-date information that we have.” A recent announcement invites members to attend a presentation by clinical psychologist Dr. Wes Beavis “as we work to process through the trauma together.”
The sheriff’s office reported that all known victims have been notified. Johnson, who faces up to eight years behind bars if convicted, is being held on a $250,000 bond at Livingston County Jail while awaiting a Sept. 24 court appearance.
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