The lead pastor of a Florida megachurch was arrested for violating state public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay Church was arrested on Monday on misdemeanor charges of unlawful assembly and violation of public health rules after defying the state’s social distancing restrictions by holding packed church services.
“His reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister of Howard-Browne’s widely attended services during the coronavirus pandemic.
The megachurch, attended by thousands in Florida, protested its business classification as “nonessential,” releasing a statement that said its function would alleviate “fear and uncertainty” during the pandemic. Howard-Browne told attendees last week not to worry about contracting the COVID-19 virus, claiming he “brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place.”
“In a time of national crisis, we expect certain institutions to be open and certain people to be on duty. We expect hospitals to have their doors open 24/7 to receive and treat patients. We expect our police and firefighters to be ready and available to rescue and to help and to keep the peace. The Church is another one of those essential services. It is a place where people turn for help and for comfort in a climate of fear and uncertainty,” the church wrote in a statement over the weekend.
“Therefore, we feel that it would be wrong for us to close our doors on them, at this time, or any time,” it added.
Howard-Browne was one of many pastors invited to the White House in 2017 to lay hands and pray over President Trump. He vigorously defended the president during his impeachment trial in January, saying that Jesus would have “beat the crap” out of former Trump national security adviser John Bolton for being “disloyal to the president.”
More than 770,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus globally as of Monday. Of those, at least 36,900 have died from complications related to the virus, and more than 160,000 coronavirus patients have recovered. The United States has seen at least 156,900 confirmed cases, with more than 2,800 associated deaths and 5,500 reported recoveries.
