A Brighton church leader accused of putting a hidden camera in a bathroom on and off for the last two years now faces charges and has been fired from his job.
Will Johnson, 37, was the worship pastor director of 2|42 Community Church’s Brighton location on Grand River Avenue. The church also has campuses in Ann Arbor, Lansing, Livonia, Monroe, Saginaw and Taylor.
Eric Rauch, 2|42 Community Church’s executive pastor of ministry operations, said Johnson’s arrest and dismissal came after a staff member reported to the congregation’s leadership the hidden camera was found inside “a non-public, unisex bathroom in the (Brighton church’s) backstage area.”
He said Johnson confessed to church leadership that he had placed the camera in the bathroom. He added Johnson was immediately terminated by the church.
“The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office was notified and they placed Will Johnson under arrest Friday evening,” Rauch said.
“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 said. “2|42 Community Church is cooperating fully with the sheriff’s office investigation and is taking proactive steps, including engaging with a third-party investigator, to ensure the safety of all our facilities.”
Detectives from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office arrested Johnson at his home in Howell and he’s being held at the Livingston County Jail. During an interview, Johnson admitted to placing the camera in the church bathroom and that he has done so intermittently for the past 2 years, targeting specific individuals known to use that specific bathroom.
Johnson was charged Sunday in 53rd District Court in Howell with tampering with evidence, surveilling an unclothed person, a felony, and using a computer to commit a crime.
