ST. GEORGE — The defendant who pleaded guilty to arson and evading in connection with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel fires last year appeared in court for sentencing Friday.
Benjamin James Johnson, 37, was charged with second-degree felony arson and a third-degree felony for failing to stop at command of law enforcement.
During the hearing Friday, which was held via video, 5th District Court Judge John J. Walton ordered that Johnson pay more than $1.3. million in restitution, which far exceeded the $12,000 in estimated costs initially released by authorities.
Johnson’s prison sentences, however, were suspended and he was given credit for the 320 days he had already served in jail. He was placed on three years’ probation and ordered to complete a mental health evaluation and participate in any treatment program as a condition of probation.
Walton also ordered that Johnson arrange for an interstate compact agreement with authorities in Missouri, to enable his probation to be transferred to the state in which he is residing, as well all standard provisions of probation.
On May 23, the defendant entered a “guilty with mental illness” plea to the two charges, and a presentence report, which is a comprehensive collection of information that includes a defendant’s criminal background, as well as other information that is used to help the court in determining an appropriate sentence, was ordered by the court.
The remaining charges – including third-degree felony damage to jail, as well as arson and reckless driving, each a misdemeanor – were dismissed in accordance with the plea agreement.
The suspect remained in custody in Washington County until December, when he was transported to Utah State Hospital for treatment. In May, he was returned to Purgatory Correctional Facility until last month, when the defendant was released from jail, and he returned to his home state of Missouri immediately after.
The case was filed in connection with the fires set at three different chapels of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early morning hours of Aug. 31, 2021, when firefighters found flames shooting out of broken windows toward the front of the building on the first fire reported shortly after 4 a.m.
While crews were still at the scene, a second fire was reported at the church on Rustic Road, where the fire caused extensive damage to the front of the structure, along with smoke and water damage throughout the chapel, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker told St. George News from the scene.
Johnson was arrested in Springdale after a 40-mile police pursuit that started in St. George. He was initially said to have been spotted leaving a chapel on River Road by an officer canvassing the area in search of the suspect responsible for setting two other church fires reported within an hour of the third.
The pursuit ended when police say the suspect crashed the minivan he was driving into a boulder near the entrance to Zion National Park and the van caught fire.
During an interview with investigators later that morning, Johnson continued to identify himself as “Joshua” and told investigators he is a “type of deity.” He also allegedly admitted to setting the three churches on fire and then went on to say he set the fires out of “righteous anger,” according to the initial report.
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