05-02-2025
Myrtle Beach judge denies John-Paul Miller's request for restraining order against protester
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach judge on Wednesday denied pastor John-Paul Miller's request for a restraining order against a woman he claimed has been harassing and stalking him in recent months.
The ruling came after three of the four incidents cited by Miller in his complaint against Melissa Post were stricken during a lengthy hearing Wednesday morning. At least two incidents are needed for a restraining order to be issued.
Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller
Demonstrators with the 'Justice for Mica' movement have targeted Miller and his Solid Rock ministry since his wife Mica's death in April at the Lumber River State Park in Robeson County. The protests grew out of abuse and harassment allegations that surfaced in the weeks and months following her death, which authorities ruled a suicide.
Miller represented himself at the hearing, in which he cited incidents in his complaint that allegedly took place on Jan. 5. One was at the X Gym Sports Mall on George Bishop Parkway, where Miller said Post called him a 'son-of-a-b—- murderer.' That same day, Miller said Post followed him from the X Gym to a Bob Evans restaurant and once again said, 'You're a son-of-a-b—- murderer. I hope you choke on your breakfast.'
Miller's father, Reginald Wayne Miller, testified about one of the incidents. He said they were attending a church service at the X Gym and that 10 to 12 people followed John-Paul and screamed at him and called him a murderer as they walked out of the X Gym. He said he did not see or hear Post make the comment but recognized her voice from a video of another incident that happened later at a Bob Evans restaurant.
Later while being questioned by Post's attorney, Regina Ward, Miller testified about two other incidents on Dec. 22 at the Rat Hole on Socastee Boulevard, where Miller conducted church services. The two incidents were stricken from the complaint after Miller testified he could not be sure Post was there.
Miller also said he feared for his safety last May and June as protesters gathered outside his Solid Rock Church in The Market Common. He said when he called Myrtle Beach police it was not specifically about Post, whom he said he knew because she had worked with Mica in the past.
At the start of Wednesday's hearing, the judge denied Miller's motion to remove Ward from the case because of a conflict of interest. He said she has talked about him on social media, has cursed at him in court and has called him repeatedly.
He argued that Ward could be heard on a TikTok video outside the magistrate's office on Tuesday telling people about the hearing and inviting and telling them to attend. He also provided two other videos of interviews Ward did with media, including one with a News13 reporter.
Miller also said Ward has represented Mica's family and is also representing at least one person named in more than a dozen civil complaints he recently filed in Myrtle Beach Magistrate Court. Ward argued that she had never represented him so there couldn't be a conflict of interest.
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Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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Jordan White is a Digital Producer at News13. She joined the News13 team in August 2024. Jordan, a Myrtle Beach native, graduated from St. James High School in Murrells Inlet and is a graduate of Coker University. Follow Jordan on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here.
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