More Details: Kenosha Pastor Charged with Felony for Allegedly Illegally Accessing Private Photos
Kenosha, Wis. (Oct. 2, 2024) — More infomation has been revealed about Gabriel E. Mills, a now former pastor at Journey Church in Kenosha, who charged with two felony counts of capturing intimate representations without consent,.
The charges followed allegations that he allegedly accessed a congregant’s phone and transferred private photos of her to himself without permission.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Kenosha County Circuit Court, Mills, 34, was charged after an incident that took place on Sept. 22, 2024, at his home.
The complaint details how Mills, under the pretense of helping a fellow church member, referred to in the complaint as TAB, with downloading an audiobook app, accessed TAB’s phone.
During that time, Mills allegedly sent himself intimate photos of TAB’s wife, referred to as CMB, which had been sent to her husband in confidence.
The family of TAB and CMB, members of Journey Church, were attending a church life group gathering at Mills’ home when the incident occurred.
CMB told investigators that she became suspicious after noticing Mills clutching his phone close to his chest and later saw one of her private photos displayed on his device.
The image, which showed her in thong-style underwear, had only been shared privately with her husband.
Mills reportedly became “white as a ghost” and apologized profusely when confronted by CMB about the photo.
He initially claimed that the image was of his wife but CMB said she recognized herself in the photo and knew it was one she had only sent to her husband.
Mills continued to deny accessing the private images and repeatedly asked CMB not to inform his wife, according to the complaint.
After leaving Mills’ home, CMB informed TAB about the photo.
TAB confirmed that Mills had used his phone for an extended period to download an app.
Following this, TAB contacted Mills to confront him, but Mills denied having accessed any private images and claimed that the photo was of his own wife.
Mills later sent a different image in an attempt to back up his story, but CMB maintained it was not the same photo she had seen on his phone.
A subsequent investigation by the Kenosha Police Department, led by Detective Traxler, revealed that Mills had accessed TAB’s text messaging and AirDrop functions while using the phone.
A search warrant was issued for Mills’ phone, and the downloaded data revealed two explicit photos of CMB, which she positively identified as ones she had sent only to her husband.
Mills was arrested on Sept. 23, 2024.
During police interviews, Mills declined to speak with officers, citing legal advice.
According to the complaint, body camera footage from the investigation shows that Journey Church leadership was notified of the allegations.
Pastor Kevin Taylor, the church’s lead pastor, stated that the accusations were “believable enough” that Mills was terminated from his position on Sept. 29, 2024.
Mills had previously been listed as a “Guest Experience Pastor” on the church’s website, but his profile has since been removed.
In a phone call from jail on Sept. 30, Mills reportedly told his wife that the charges were related to the photos of CMB but expressed confusion as to why they were pursuing legal action, stating, “I just feel like they are doing this now because they are upset.”
The charges Mills faces are Class I felonies under Wisconsin law. If convicted, he could face up to three years and six months in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
The investigation is ongoing, and Mills is expected to appear in court later this month.