A pastor husband who came under suspicion after his wife’s high-profile suicide in the spring was arrested days after an FBI raid on his South Carolina home.
John-Paul Miller, 45, was arrested Wednesday and charged with third-degree assault and battery. The arrest was unrelated to the raid on his home on Friday, reports WMBF.
A witness captured footage of the incident, showing a woman chasing John-Paul in a parking lot and harassing him. The woman is believed to be a ‘Justice for Mica’ protester, alleging that the pastor was involved in the death of his wife Mica Miller in April.
John-Paul was initially seen running away from the woman, Sandra Karon, as she screamed at him. He then turns around and confronts her, yelling, ‘What did you say? You walked straight towards me.
Karon told WMBF that Miller confronted her and hit her hat with his phone, resulting in assault charges.
John-Paul Miller, 45, a pastor who came under suspicion after his wife’s high-profile suicide in the spring, was arrested after an FBI raid on his home.
John-Paul’s wife, Mica Miller, committed suicide in April and her death attracted national attention as scrutiny fell on her husband’s behavior in the weeks after his death.
Footage of the incident showed a ‘Justice for Mica’ protester clashing with John-Paul outside his church, and his assault charges were a result of him hitting her hat with his phone.
John-Paul already attracted attention when he delivered a bizarre sermon after his wife’s apparent suicide in April, triggering a wave of accusations of “abuse” in his marriage and his “sexual encounters” with underage girls.
Police have not indicated they believe John-Paul was involved in his wife’s death.
Following his arrest, John-Paul will appear in court on Thursday for a bail hearing and will be brought back before a judge on December 10.
The assault and battery charges are reportedly not related to an FBI raid on his home on Friday, the nature of which is still a mystery.
Neighbors said at the time that they had been told officers were there to execute a search warrant, and Miller was not believed to be home when authorities arrived.
Karon said her confrontation with Miller on Wednesday began when she and other locals went to Miller’s church, Market Common Church, after hearing rumors that it was being emptied of its contents.
Karon, believing the emptying of the church was related to the FBI raid, said she then saw Miller in the church, prompting her to chase him down and insult him with a series of expletives.
Sandra Karon