(NEW YORK) — A former South Carolina pastor has been indicted on federal charges of cyberstalking his wife, including allegedly posting a nude photo of her online, before she died by suicide in 2024, authorities said.

A federal grand jury in Columbia, S.C., returned a two-count indictment on Thursday, charging 46-year-old John-Paul Miller with cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators, stemming from the investigation into his wife’s death.

“This case underscores the seriousness of domestic violence abuse and related offenses and serves as a reminder that such behavior has no place in our society,” Robeson County, North Carolina, Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in a statement posted on his office’s Facebook page, along with photos of both John-Paul and Mica Miller.

Miller is scheduled be arraigned on Jan. 12 in federal court in Florence, S.C., according to the sheriff’s office.

Miller and his 30-year-old wife were estranged and in the process of getting a divorce at the time of her death.

Mica Miller’s remains were discovered on April 27, 2024, at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County, N.C., about an hour north of Myrtle Beach, S.C., according to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office.

Robeson County sheriff’s deputies went to the park to conduct a welfare check on Mica Miller after she contacted the Robeson County 911 Communications Center, expressing concern that she might harm herself, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies found Mica Miller at the park, “deceased in the water with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” according to the sheriff’s office, which also said a firearm was found near her body.

The North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death a suicide.

“During the course of the investigation, Detectives identified information that, while not directly related to the actual cause of death, warranted further review regarding Miller’s husband, John-Paul Miller. That information was believed to be relevant in understanding the broader circumstances surrounding Miller’s death,” according to the sheriff’s office statement.

On May 6, 2024, Wilkins formally requested that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina “investigate allegations that were reported to have occurred outside the jurisdiction of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office,” according to the statement. The FBI also joined the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to the indictment, federal prosecutors said the investigation found that beginning in November 2022 and up to his wife’s death, John-Paul Miller allegedly sent his wife “unwanted and harassing communications.”

“The harassing behavior included Miller posting a nude photo of the victim online without her consent, causing tracking devices to be placed on her vehicle, and in one instance, contacting her over 50 times in a single day,” the indictment alleges.

The indictment also alleges that John-Paul Miller “interfered with [his wife’s] finances and her daily activities and on one occasion damaged her vehicle tires.”

“Federal investigators interviewed Miller about these allegations and Miller lied in his responses,” the indictment alleges. “Miller said he did not damage the victim’s tires, when in fact he purchased a tire deflation device online and sent messages to others regarding the victim’s vehicle.”

The indictment further states that Miller’s alleged cyberstalking put his wife in “reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury,” and that his conduct “would be reasonably expected to cause [Mica Miller] substantial emotional distress.”

ABC News attempts to reach John-Paul Miller for comment were unsuccessful. It is unclear if he has hired an attorney.

If convicted, Miller faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on the cyberstalking charge and two years in prison for allegedly making false statements to investigators, according to the Department of Justice. He could also face a fine of up to $250,000.

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(NEW YORK) — Dramatic police body-camera video released by officials captured the moment an accused shoplifter allegedly pulled a handgun on a police officer inside a Canton, Ohio, Walmart before he was tackled by a store employee.

The incident unfolded on Thursday after the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Shane C.L. Newman, and a female companion were being held in a back office by an off-duty Canton police officer, who was a working security detail at the store, officials said.

“This incident is a reminder of the ever-present threat of violence against police officers and the gracious provision of God’s protection. Thank you to all who regularly pray with me for our offices and our community,” Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said in a statement.

Police body-camera video showed store employees stopping Newman and a woman he was with on Thursday afternoon at the front door of the Walmart and then escorting them to the store’s loss prevention office.

Inside the office, a police officer, according to the security video, conducted a partial pat-down search of Newman, asking, “Nothing on you that’s going to poke me or stab me?”

After conducting a search, the officers told Newman and his female companion to sit on a metal bench inside the office, the video showed.

As the officer radioed in the names of Newman and the woman to confirm their identities, Newman is seen on security video turning to his side and reaching into a pouch he had on him that the officer apparently missed in his search.

Newman is seen in the video pulling out a handgun and pointing it at the officer, but the gun didn’t fire.

The footage showed a Walmart loss prevention employee lunging for the gun and tackling Newman before he could open fire. After a brief struggle, Newman was handcuffed by the police officer, who immediately called for backup.

In the aftermath of the incident, the officer told a sergeant who responded to the store that the suspect allegedly “pulls out a gun and points it at my head and pulls the trigger. It doesn’t go off. I draw. He ends up giving up,” the officer said, according to the video.

The officer, according to the video, told the sergeant he patted him down, but “didn’t get his pouch he had.”

The officer, according to the video, added, “I was going to release them, that was the thing, like it was just going to be a summons.”

Newman was arrested on charges of attempt to commit murder, felonious assault of a peace officer and possession of drugs.

The 23-year-old woman was taken into custody along with Newman and charged with complicity to commit robbery.

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(LOS ANGELES) — Heavy rain and dangerous flooding left one person dead in Redding, California, the mayor announced on Sunday.

It comes as flood watches are in effect for more than 30 million across California due to the threat of heavy rain and flash flooding in the coming days.

Redding Mayor Mike Littau said in a post on Facebook that local police and fire crews have been out doing water rescues while Public Works and Redding Electric Utility have been working to clear roads and restore power to customers.

Cities across Northern California on Sunday saw roadways inundated with flooding, leaving vehicles stranded.

The deadly flooding is due to repeat atmospheric rivers that continue to swamp the West Coast.

A Flood Watch was announced for much of Northern California, including Redding and Sacramento, on Saturday, with some areas expected to get 4 to 6+ inches.

On Christmas Eve Wednesday, another coastal storm will set its sights on the West Coast, but this time Southern California will bear the brunt.

There is growing concern for potentially significant flash flooding, mudslides and debris flows impacting portions of SoCal, as heavy rain sweeps across the region. The greatest concern will be across wildfire burn scars.

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