By Philip Phi
Posted Sep 1, 2026 at 12:36 AM
A California pastor and massage therapist, David Johnson, has been charged with multiple felony counts involving the alleged sexual abuse of two children. The charges, which include four counts of lewd acts upon a child and two counts of continuous sexual abuse, were filed by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Johnson, 58, formerly led Live Oak Christian Fellowship in Oak View and operated a mobile massage business, Lifespring Bodywork. He is currently detained in Ventura County jail without bail, having pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The alleged abuse occurred between 2013 and 2019 in the areas of Ojai and Oxnard, both within 20 miles of Oak View. Investigators believe Johnson had access to the victims through a familial relationship. Special allegations also suggest the victims were under 14 years of age at the time of the alleged offenses.
The investigation began in June when Johnson’s wife, Tana, contacted the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, seeking a domestic violence restraining order against him. She subsequently filed for divorce and reported her husband to California’s Child Protective Services. Despite these actions, Johnson retained 50% custody with visitation rights for four of his children.
Authorities arrested Johnson without incident during a child custody exchange at Libbey Park in Ojai. His attorney, Bryan Clifton, has described Johnson as a “pillar of the community” but acknowledged the severity of the allegations. Clifton stated that Johnson denies the charges and emphasized that much of the alleged conduct is historical.
Authorities are investigating the possibility of additional victims and encourage anyone with information to contact Detective Michael Loth at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. As the community grapples with these allegations, it is crucial to remember the biblical call to seek justice and care for the vulnerable, as highlighted in Micah 6:8.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
