A controversial South Carolina pastor who is at the center of his wife’s suicide investigation was arrested by Myrtle Beach police on complaints of assault and battery days after his home was raided by the FBI.

John Paul Miller, 45, was arrested around 2:38 p.m. Wednesday near the 700 block of Hemlock Avenue on a disturbance complaint, the Myrtle Beach Police Department confirmed on Thursday

He is accused of assaulting a “Justice for Mica” protester outside his home in the Market Common area of Myrtle Beach, according to WBTW News 13.

Miller’s  30-year-old wife, Mica, took her life last April, as reported by The Roys Report (TRR). Mica’s death garnered national attention, after she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and her husband delivered a bizarre eulogy.

Family members also claimed that John Paul Miller had abused Mica.

News 13 reported that it had video from Wednesday of John Paul Miller standing in front of the woman. He then reportedly made a motion that angered the woman, and the woman claimed Miller put his hands on her.

This isn’t the first time protestors seeking justice for Mica have met with opposition from Solid Rock Church members.

In July, a church member faced assault charges after using a sprinkler to spray protestors outside the building, TRR reported. 

Miller appeared in court on Thursday morning and was released on a $776 bail. He is due back in court on Dec. 10, according to online court records.

Efforts to reach Miller or the Solid Rock Church, where Miller formerly pastored, were unsuccessful. The church’s phone number is disconnected and its website invalid.

FBI search and Mica’s death

The FBI was at Miller’s home on Friday “for court-authorized law enforcement activity,” FBI spokesperson Kevin Wheeler told TRR. No additional information was released.

The FBI was called in to assist with the investigation into Mica’s death, but it’s unclear if the FBI’s search was related to that investigation.

The couple had initiated divorce proceedings shortly before her death.

Myrtle Beach police reports obtained by NewsNation show Mica Miller accused her husband of stealing her car, installing a tracking device, hospitalizing her against her will and grooming her at a young age.

Security footage shows Mica buying a gun at a Myrtle Beach pawn shop before driving to a state park. She reportedly called 911 and asked them to find her location because she was planning to kill herself and wanted her family to find her body. She was then found floating in a river, the Sun Times reported.

Mica Miller’s family publicly pointed a finger at John Paul Miller, saying he abused his wife. The family said Mica feared for her life, going as far as saying “if I end up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was JP,’” according to an affidavit filed by Mica’s sister, Sierra Francis.

Miller announced his wife’s death in church saying she suffered from mental illness, a claim Mica’s family disputes. They say she had no mental health problems until she started dating John-Paul Miller, The Sun News  reported.

John-Paul Miller told The Sun News his wife struggled with mental health problems and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and dependent personality disorder.

He accused Mica’s family of encouraging her not to take her medications, The Sun News reported.

During his May 5 eulogy, Miller said he tried to raise her from the dead and has repeatedly denied any involvement with her death.

Mica Miller led the women’s ministry and worship team at Solid Rock. She did not have any children but was stepmother to Miller’s five children with his previous wife.

Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.