Man who set fire to 3 LDS churches, crashed getaway car in Zion ordered to pay $1.13M

A man has been ordered to pay more than $1.13 million in restitution after he pleaded guilty to setting fire to three Latter-day Saint meetinghouses in St. George last year.

Benjamin James Johnson, 37, was arrested on Aug. 31, 2021, after firefighters discovered fires had been set at three structures owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Two of the buildings suffered heavy damage; the damage to the third was estimated to be less than $1,500.

A man — later identified as Johnson — was seen running from one of the meetinghouses, getting into a minivan and driving away. According to police, Johnson refused to stop and evaded authorities.

Officers twice deployed spikes, deflating the minivan’s tires, but Johnson continued driving, traveling into oncoming lanes at times as he headed toward Zion National Park. He eventually crashed in the park and was taken into custody. Although his vehicle burst into flames, Johnson suffered only minor injuries.

According to police, when Johnson was questioned he told officers he was “a type of deity.” He admitted to setting the three meetinghouses on fire and described his behavior as “righteous anger.” Johnson also damaged some property in a police interview room and spit on a detective, according to court documents.

Johnson, who lived in Arizona at the time but has since moved to Missouri, was charged with three counts of arson — two counts were second-degree felonies, and one was a misdemeanor. He also was charged with failure to stop and damaging a jail, third-degree felonies; spitting on a police officer, a misdemeanor; and reckless driving, a misdemeanor.

In May, he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to two counts of arson and failure to stop; in return, the other charges were dropped. Johnson was sentenced to the 320 days he served in jail after his arrest, along with three years of probation. He faces a suspended sentence of one to 15 years in prison.

Fifth District Court Judge John Walton also ordered Johnson to pay almost $29,000 in fines, then suspended all but $106 of that — plus interest.

The restitution amount totaled $1,131,586.90, according to a sentencing document.