(MI)
Livingston Daily [Brighton MI]
October 8, 2024
By Tess Ware
A former pastor at 2|42 Community Church has yet to be bound over to circuit court after being arrested on charges of surveilling an unclothed person, using a computer to commit a crime and tampering with evidence.
William Johnson was arrested in September after confessing to church leadership he’d placed a hidden camera in a bathroom meant for staff and volunteers multiple times over the last two years.
More:Police: 2|42 pastor confessed to targeting individuals with bathroom camera for two years
The confession came after a staff member discovered the camera and reported it to church leadership. Johnson was fired and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office was notified. Johnson’s home was searched and all electronic devices seized.
According to LCSO, all known victims have been identified and notified. In an interview, police said, Johnson admitted to placing the camera “intermittently for the past two years, targeting specific individuals known to use that specific bathroom.”
Surveilling an unclothed person is a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison or up to $2,000 in fines. Tampering with evidence is a felony, punishable by up to four years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines. Using a computer to commit a crime is a felony, as well, but possible punishment is a scale based on the underlying crime.
Johnson has been lodged in the Livingston County Jail on a $250,000 bond. His case is still based in 53rd District Court. He’s scheduled for a motion hearing Tuesday, Oct. 15, and a probable cause conference Tuesday, Oct. 22, in front of Judge Shauna Murphy.