A Florida sheriff announced an arrest warrant for a controversial pastor on Monday, after the religious leader refused to stop holding packed church services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a press conference that Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne is wanted on charges of unlawful assembly and violation of public health rules after flouting social distancing orders at The River at Tampa Bay church.
Howard-Browne—an ally of President Donald Trump—has been an outspoken opponent of social distancing requirements, claiming his church has machines that can stop the coronavirus and vowing to personally cure the state of Florida himself.
“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,” Chronister said at the press conference.
Howard-Browne did not respond to an immediate request for comment. The sheriff said they expected him to turn himself in.
Chronister’s office warned Howard-Browne on Sunday that his busy services violated a county order against gatherings of more than 10 people. Deputies for Chronister, a Republican, set up an electronic sign outside the church on Sunday urging parishioners to stay six feet apart from each other, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
At services on March 15, Howard-Browne encouraged his parishioners to shake hands to show they weren’t afraid of contracting the coronavirus and vowed his church “will never close.”
“This has to be the safest place,” said Howard-Browne, who was in a group of evangelical leaders who laid hands on Donald Trump in a White House ceremony in 2017.
The sheriff disagreed, saying the pastor was putting people’s health at risk.
“I believe there's nothing more important than faith during a time like this,” Chronister said. “And as a sheriff's office we would never impede someone’s ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort. But practicing those beliefs has to be done safely.”
He said the sheriff’s office spoke to attorneys for the church twice to explain they were violating government orders. He said officers tried to meet in person with Howard-Browne but he refused.
Chronister said the pastor’s stance was particularly bewildering because he could have just live-streamed the service to his 4,000 members. Instead, he encouraged everyone to come in person and even provided bus service.
State Attorney Andrew Warren said the arrest warrant should serve as a warning to others who refuse to follow the distancing rules.
“Where people are refusing to obey law enforcement in this regard you risk being arrested and prosecuted,” he said.