logo
WATCH: John-Paul Miller confronted after rape claims

WATCH: John-Paul Miller confronted after rape claims

Yahoo27-02-2025

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach magistrate on Wednesday denied pastor John-Paul Miller's requests for restraining orders against four protesters who have targeted him and his church since the suicide of his wife Mica in April.
Miller was in Magistrate Court on Wednesday, a day after being accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in a civil lawsuit. The lawsuit also named his dad, Reginald, and said they fostered a climate of 'sexual abuse and predatory conduct' in their ministry through the years.
News13 asked Miller about the rape allegations as he walked into court Wednesday. He would not comment on the lawsuit and said, 'I have nothing to say to y'all.'
At least nine people, including Miller's girlfriend, testified on his behalf at Wednesday's hearings, and the judge ruled that there was an 'obvious bias' because all of them were close to him and the Solid Rock Church. The judge also said almost all of them said they could not say for certain they saw the women at protests in January and December.
Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller
A large group of churchgoers, including Miller's dad were there to support him. Miller testified during Wednesday's hearing that he's afraid someone will die and that many church members are scared and carry Mace with them.
The attorney representing the women said Miller made the case a matter of public interest by doing 'national broadcast interviews.'
Demonstrators with the 'Justice for Mica' movement have targeted Miller and his Solid Rock ministry since Mica's death. The protests grew out of abuse and harassment allegations that surfaced in the weeks and months following her death, which authorities ruled a suicide.
Earlier this month, a judge denied Miller's request for a restraining order against Melissa Post. The ruling came after three of the four incidents cited by Miller in his complaint against Post were stricken during a lengthy hearing. At least two incidents are needed for a restraining order to be issued.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Charges filed in hit-and-run crash that killed Milwaukee grandmother
Charges filed in hit-and-run crash that killed Milwaukee grandmother

Yahoo

time16 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Charges filed in hit-and-run crash that killed Milwaukee grandmother

The family of Beverly Fair has waited nearly a half year for some semblance of justice. The 70-year-old grandmother was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Milwaukee in January. Donte Miller, 30, of Milwaukee, was charged June 6 with seven counts related to the crash that killed Fair, including second-degree reckless homicide and hit-and-run involving death. His bail was set at $150,000 June 6 and a competency exam was ordered. Miller had an active warrant for his arrest since June 2023 after repeatedly fleeing police, according to prosecutors. Miller has been in custody since March when he was arrested on separate charges. The district attorney's office said it was waiting on lab results related to the crash that killed Fair. According to a criminal complaint, on Jan. 4, Milwaukee police officers attempted to pull over Miller near North 35th and West Vine streets in his BMW after observing no front license plate on the vehicle. Miller began to increase his speed and disregard a stop sign so officers activated their lights and sirens and attempted to catch up, the complaint said. Due to a slight incline in the road, officers temporarily lost sight of the BMW. Once at the top of the incline, officers observed the BMW had crashed into a Dodge Durango at the intersection of North 34th and West Lloyd streets. According to the complaint, the driver's door to the BMW was open, but the other doors were closed, while inside the Durango was Fair, and her 21-year-old grandson, Jordan Fair. Jordan Fair, who was driving, suffered pain and bruising to his chest area, while Beverly Fair died from her injuries. The Minnesota plate on Miller's BMW did not match the vehicle, but the VIN number did register to Miller, who was being sought after fleeing police in October 2023, according to the complaint. Officers recovered Miller's cellphone in the BMW, and it was later determined by a lab that there is "very strong support" that Miller's DNA is inside the vehicle, the complaint said. Officers responded to Miller's apartment later that night, but he had left the premises by then. The crash occurred just 1.2 miles away from his home and it was later determined by surveillance video that Miller walk or ran to his apartment before being let into the building by someone, according to the complaint. Miller did not have a valid license at the time of the crash and the conditions of his bail from his open felony case were to not commit any new crimes or drive without a valid driver's license. Miller was initially arrested in December 2022 for fleeing police and released from custody six days later after posting $2,000 bail. He failed to appear for his preliminary hearing in June 2023 and an arrest warrant was issued. He was arrested again in March 2025 and has since been in custody. Miller faces decades behind bars. His attorney, Michael Cerniglia, said at the June 6 hearing that Miller refuses to talk to him and show up for court, so Cerniglia wants to raise concerns about his competency. The early January crash that killed Fair happened just days after the holiday season, which Fair always looked forward to as a chance to feed her family a big meal, her daughter Shyla Deacon previously told the Journal Sentinel. Deacon couldn't immediately be reached for comment on June 9. Fair left behind a husband, Charles, five children and 12 grandchildren. "She was my dad's queen. She was our queen," Deacon said. "She did everything in excellence. Everything from the way she dressed, to the way she did her makeup, to the food that she cooked, everything was done in excellence. She was the best of all of us." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Charges filed in hit-and-run crash that killed Milwaukee grandmother

‘We need due process': Dozens gather in CT in support of nationwide protests over recent ICE arrests
‘We need due process': Dozens gather in CT in support of nationwide protests over recent ICE arrests

Yahoo

time18 hours ago

  • Yahoo

‘We need due process': Dozens gather in CT in support of nationwide protests over recent ICE arrests

A group of protestors gathered outside of the Hartford U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office Monday afternoon sharing concerns over highly publicized arrests and raids throughout the county as well as recent ICE protests in Los Angeles where National Guard members was deployed. The group of approximately 50 people chanted 'Enough is Enough' and 'We will not put up with ICE' and held signs like 'Abolish ICE,' 'Without Due Process It's Just Kidnapping,' 'We Support L.A.' and 'End ICE Gestapo.' 'Seeing ICE arrest those poor people that had nothing wrong except walk 1,000 miles to escape violence and poverty in search of a better life which is what my grandparents did and what your grandparents did,' said Diane Aquino of New Britain. She said she is troubled about how people have been treated by ICE and feels that the country will eventually turn around with more people raising their voices. 'I have to think that otherwise we are lost as a country and as human beings,' Aquino said. 'It's happening here. It's terrible and its sad and we've lost our soul.' Windsor resident Susan Miller said she is very worried for undocumented people in the country and how they are being treated as well as what is going on in Los Angeles. 'It's horrible that (President Donald) Trump is using it as an excuse to crack down on First Amendment rights, our ability to speak out and protect other people. I'm just very concerned where this is going.' Miller said this is a moral issue, and it has compelled her to voice her concerns. 'I know this is wrong. I know there are better ways to handle to all they are trying to accomplish as an administration, but we need to treat people with dignity and respect,' Miller said. 'We don't have to snatch them. I feel we all need to stand up. I don't want to. I would rather be at home doing something else but it's something I feel like I need to do. 'Obviously, we need due process, and everyone is entitled to due process,' she added. 'But it's not just due process, but it's the terror (ICE) is injecting into communities. Why? It doesn't have to be cruel. It can go through a process.' This past weekend in Los Angeles, thousands turned out in response to Trump's deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeways and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd, according to the Associated Press. On Sunday, the third straight day of protests in Los Angeles, there were several dozen arrests, the Associated Press said. Dozens of protesters were also arrested in San Francisco. Three officers were injured, and one was taken to the hospital. Norwich's Alida Lamagna joined the Hartford protest holding a sign that said, 'Make Good Trouble.' She said she believes it is her responsibility as a white woman to stand up for those who don't have the same privilege that she does. 'I want to stand up for those that are facing really, really scary times,' she said. 'I'd be lying if I wasn't scared for my own future, but I also recognize that I have an opportunity to stand for something critical.' Lamagna said sometimes it's hard to think that these rallies do anything, but she said they are important and has joined an Indivisible group in her hometown. 'Those are the pieces that help me feel motivated that in these really horrendous, heartbreaking situations I do have some opportunity to make a small difference even if it's at that small local level,' Lamagna said. 'I think that's where we see the most change is at our communities. It's easy to fall into despair. It's hard to stand up, but it's the right thing to do.' She said she's hopeful that a positive change will come. 'I'm hopeful that those on the other side will start to realize everything that is going on is not just affecting 'others.' They are going to be affected as well,' Lamagna said. This past week, Meriden Public School officials learned that a Maloney High School senior was detained by ICE during an immigration hearing in Hartford just days before his high school graduation on Tuesday. 'U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not contacted the district or any Meriden public school,' said Mark D. Benigni, Superintendent of Schools for Meriden Public Schools. 'While I cannot share details about specific students, I can assure you that students who meet all of the Meriden Public Schools graduation requirements will be issued a diploma from the Meriden Board of Education.' Nearly a month ago, Afghan refugee Saifullah Khan was Tased and detained by ICE agents as he and his wife left an immigration hearing in Hartford's federal building. Khan, who was born in a Pakistani refugee camp after his family was forced by the Taliban to flee Afghanistan, came to the United States to study at Yale University. He had applied for asylum and the application had pending for nine years when he was detained on May 9. Information from Courant reporter Edmund H. Mahony was used in this report.

Latinas for Trump founder now condemns White House deportation agenda: ‘Not what we voted for'
Latinas for Trump founder now condemns White House deportation agenda: ‘Not what we voted for'

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Latinas for Trump founder now condemns White House deportation agenda: ‘Not what we voted for'

A Republican state lawmaker in Florida who founded Latinas for Trump condemned the administration's sweeping immigration arrests across the state despite the president's months-long campaign that promised the largest 'mass deportation operation' in American history. 'This is not what we voted for,' state Sen. Ileana Garcia said in a statement Saturday. 'I have always supported Trump, through thick and thin. However, this is unacceptable and inhumane.' She said her Cuban-refugee parents 'are now just as American, if not more so, than Stephen Miller,' among the architects of Trump's anti-immigration agenda demanding 3,000 daily immigration arrests. 'I understand the importance of deporting criminal aliens, but what we are witnessing are arbitrary measures to hunt down people who are complying with their immigration hearings — in many cases, with credible fear of persecution claims — all driven by a Miller-like desire to satisfy a self-fabricated deportation goal,' she wrote. 'This undermines the sense of fairness and justice that the American people value,' Garcia added. Her remarks follow arrests across the country targeting immigrants at work sites and inside courthouses, sparking widespread outrage and protests accusing the administration of targeting immigrants who were following the law. But her statements — coming from the Miami-area lawmaker with a years-long history with the president — seemingly ignore Trump's countless campaign promises of a 'mass deportation operation' and years of warnings from immigrant advocates who cautioned against these exact scenarios playing out across the country. Garcia has supported Trump since his first campaign in 2016 and created Latinas for Trump to rally Hispanic women behind the president. She also served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security during Trump's first term. Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to combat what he called an 'invasion' of undocumented immigrants who are 'poisoning the blood of our country,' relying on stories of violent crime to support a brutal crackdown that could impact millions of families. Trump repeatedly promised to arrest, detain and deport people living in the country without legal permission as part of his 'day one' agenda. He first pledged to 'carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history' nearly two years ago. 'Lawless mobs of unscreened unvetted illegal alien migrants are stampeding across our border by the millions and millions, including hordes of criminals, terrorists, human traffickers, child smugglers, gang members and inmates emptied out of their prisons and insane asylums and mental institutions,' Trump said in Iowa in September 2023. 'It's actually worse than that,' he added. 'This is an invasion and I'm one candidate who from day one knows exactly how to stop it.' In office, the president rescinded immigration enforcement policy limiting arrests in sensitive locations like courthouses, workplaces, schools, hospitals and places of worship, or at events like funerals, weddings and public demonstrations. Homeland Security officials have also revoked humanitarian protections for roughly 1 million people with temporary legal status — including thousands of people from Venezuela and Cuba, which have large populations in Florida, whose support for the president helped deliver him the state in 2024 elections. Now, thousands of people in those communities have lost protected status, making them vulnerable to immediate removal from the United States. In a recent survey of hundreds of Florida Venezuelans, Florida International University's Latino Public Opinion Forum found roughly 80 percent of respondents — half of whom are U.S. citizen voters — said the administration's rescission of temporary protected status for Venezuelans is unjust. Public criticism from one of Trump's longtime supporters arrived one day after another Republican lawmaker in Florida spoke out against the administration's immigration enforcement. Republican state Rep. Elvira Salazar said people navigating the nation's byzantine immigration system — including their pending asylum claims or green card petitions — deserve to 'go through the legal process.' The Cuban-American state lawmaker said she is 'heartbroken' about the 'uncertainty' gripping her district. Courthouse arrests and the termination of temporary protected status for tens of thousands of immigrants 'all jeopardize our duty to due process that every democracy must guarantee,' Salazar said. After taking office, the president issued an executive order that greenlights fast-track deportation proceedings for immigrants who cannot prove that they have continuously lived in the United States for more than two years. That 'expedited removal' process — historically used at the U.S.-Mexico border — is now being expanded across the country, with masked federal agents standing outside courtrooms to arrest immigrants moments after their immigration cases are dismissed. The American Immigration Lawyers Association says courthouse arrests are a 'flagrant betrayal of basic fairness and due process' for people who are simply following the rules. 'Immigration courts are being weaponized, judges are coordinating with ICE to dismiss cases and immediately funnel individuals into the fast-track deportation pipeline known as expedited removal,' the group said in a statement. 'These are not fugitives. They are individuals, many who are seeking protection from torture in their countries, complying with the law.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store