A Solid Rock Church member faces assault charges after using a sprinkler to spray protestors who marched outside of the church challenging its handling of Mica Miller’s death.
In April, Miller, wife of 44-year-old Solid Rock pastor John-Paul Miller, died at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. While local authorities ruled her death a suicide, Mica Miller’s family members allege that John-Paul Miller was abusing her and that she feared for her life.
She and her husband had initiated divorce proceedings shortly before her death.
Since Mica Miller’s passing, numerous protests urging “Justice for Mica” have occurred outside Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, according to FITS News.
On June 30, church member Robert W. Lochel intentionally sprayed protestors with a pressurized sprinkler, according to a police report. The demonstrators were “peacefully” protesting outside the church after the Sunday service, the report stated.
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Lochel, 67, only admitted to his actions due to his “wife’s frustrations,” according to the report. Police then sought warrants for his arrest.
On Monday, Lochel turned himself in and was charged with five counts of third-degree assault, according to News 13.
Lochel received a conditional bond that allows him to continue attending services at Solid Rock, News 13 reported. He faces a fine of $1,087 for each charge and will next appear in court in August.
Lochel’s retaliation against the protestors was captured in a cell phone video posted on social media.
@myrtlebeachstrip Church member assaulted 6 protesters in the face with a water hose some video credit to @🌿🌜KolourMeAwkward/Nikki🌛🌿 #micamiller #micaFrancis #justiceformica#jpmiller#solidrocksolidrockchurch@@TheeiPhoneGuru@@MyrtleBeachNews@@GuruMBTV@@Ｃｏｕｒｔｎｅｙ🧜🏼♀️
In the video, he can be seen picking up a hose with a sprinkler attachment and walking toward a group of protesters who chant “No people, no church.”
He douses several people with water, including a woman who flinches and yells back, “That’s assault!”
After, he sets the sprinkler back on the lawn and a police officer moves it away from the protesters.
John-Paul Miller allegedly set out the sprinklers before worship on June 30 to deter protestors, according to an email he sent The Sun News.
“These people are not protesting. Solid Rock believes in the right to protest. These people are pagans who are trying to stop Christians from worshipping,” Miller said. “These vicious pagans stand in the streets, use illegal blow horns, and laugh at the city police because the city is doing nothing to stop them from harassing Christians who simply want to worship together for one hour.”
Miller said he tried to speak to the city about protestors disrupting church member’s rights to worship but his concerns were dismissed.
He added that the protestors don’t understand the meaning of justice or know his wife.
They don’t “care about the truth behind why she died. They don’t care about mental illness that she suffered. . . they don’t care about the reason Mica passed away too early,” he wrote.
John-Paul Miller remains the pastor of Solid Rock at Market Common in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but was released from all ministerial functions shortly after Mica’s death for “a time of healing, counsel, and guidance,” The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported.
The Controversy Surrounding Mica Miller’s Death
Mica Miller’s death has garnered attention nationwide.
The day after her death, John-Paul Miller preached a normal sermon at Solid Rock — he didn’t mention her death until the end of service. He then claimed Mica had repeatedly struggled with suicide.
Shortly after this, Mica Miller’s family members alleged that John-Paul had been abusive to his wife. “Mica stated to me on many occasions ‘if I end up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was JP,’” Mica’s sister, Sierra Francis stated in an affidavit submitted to the Horry County Probate Court.
Similarly, Mica’s brother, Nathaniel Francis, stated in a separate affidavit, “Mica told me on numerous occasions that she feared John-Paul and just wanted to escape him.”
On May 8, local authorities ruled Mica’s much-disputed death a suicide based on surveillance footage, interviews, physical evidence, and the examination of the N.C. Medical Examiner’s Office.
A week later, though, authorities reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in South Carolina and the United States Attorney’s Office for additional help with the case.
A number of details about John-Paul Miller have raised concerns with advocates.
In an email apology acquired by NewsNation, Miller admitted to posting a topless photo of Mica weeks before she died.
Additionally, the pastor’s first wife, Alison, claims John-Paul engaged in sex acts with minors younger than 16 and had an addiction to prostitutes, according to a 2017 affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail.
Alison also said that John-Paul was caught in an affair with Mica in 2015 while Mica worked as the couple’s babysitter.
Court documents have come to light that show Mica Miller accused the pastor of grooming her for years and stealing her car, TRR reported.
Miller told police that she knew John-Paul since she was 10 years old and that he “groomed” her while she worked for him at Solid Rock Church until they were married in 2017.
John-Paul Miller’s attorney, Long, rejected the claims that Mica was groomed by her husband in a statement. Long called the suggestions that the pastor was involved in Mica’s death “unfounded rumors and false accusations.”
Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.
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