Man Ordered To Pay $1.13 Million in Latter-Day Saint Arson Case

A judge has provided a window into the amount of damage a man did last year when he set fire to three Latter-day Saint meetinghouses in southern Utah.

Judge John Walton has ordered Benjamin James Johnson, 37, to pay restitution in the amount of $1,131,586.90 after Johnson pleaded guilty to arson in connection with fires at three churches in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 31, 2021.

Walton suspended a prison sentence of one to 15 years and gave Johnson credit for 320 days he served in jail. Johnson now lives in Missouri, where he will be on probation for three years.

It’s unclear whether Johnson can pay the restitution. A call to the Washington County prosecutor for the case was not immediately returned on Wednesday afternoon. Walton also ordered Johnson to make his best efforts to obtain a GED or high school diploma within 18 months.

The sentence was part of an arrangement in which Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of arson, a second-degree felony and failure to stop or respond at the request of police, a third-degree felony.

Other charges, including misdemeanor arson, felony damage to a jail and misdemeanor reckless driving, were dropped as part of the plea agreement made in May.

Emergency crews responded to a fire at a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Firefighters then were called to a report of landscaping on fire at a second church.

St. George police then checked on other church buildings in the area and one officer noticed smoke coming from a third church. The officer observed man run out of the church and get into a minivan, according to KSL.

Two of the churches were badly damaged, officials said.

Two weeks ago, ChurchBeat reported that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has spoken out against increasing attacks on churches after I reached out for comment about arson at the Orem Utah Temple site.

“In recent years there has been an unfortunate worldwide increase of violence, vandalism and desecration of religious sites and buildings, including shootings, arson, graffiti, damage to facilities, and more,” church spokesman Doug Andersen said. “This has also affected chapels and temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such sites are places of gathering and sacred worship, and should be places of peace and safety. We are grateful for the efforts of local and federal law enforcement officials to investigate such instances and prosecute those who engage in those actions.”

Johnson led officers on a 40-mile chase onto I-15 and into Zion National Park. The chase ended when the vehicle crashed at the Canyon Junction bridge and started a small fire. Police arrested Johnson, who “kept calling himself Joshua and told officers he was a type of deity,” according to a police booking affidavit, KSL reported.

Walton ordered Johnson to obtain a mental health evaluation with recommendations for treatment or counseling and to take all medications recommended by his provider.

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