Sheriff issues warrant for Tampa pastor who held service during coronavirus outbreak

essentialsaltes said:

“We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place, and uh, if somebody walks through the door it’s like, it kills everything on them. If they sneeze, it shoots it down at like 100 mph. It'll neutralize it in split seconds. We have the sterile building in, I don’t know, all of America.”

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“We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place, and uh, if somebody walks through the door it’s like, it kills everything on them. If they sneeze, it shoots it down at like 100 mph. It'll neutralize it in split seconds. We have the sterile building in, I don’t know, all of America.”

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JackRT said:

Although the virus can survive for a while on surfaces, the main hazard is in being infected by other worshipers either through direct touch or airborne at close range. The pastor was reckless.

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essentialsaltes said:

LINK

Last Sunday, evangelical pastor Rodney Howard-Browne held two church services in front of thousands of members at his mega church in Tampa, potentially exposing them to the coronavirus, and now Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warrant for his arrest.

Speaking at a press conference Monday afternoon, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the arrest order for Howard-Brown includes unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules, both are second-degree misdemeanors, punishable up to 60 days in jail, with a maximum fine of $500.

"Our goal is not to stop people from worshiping," said Chronister, "but the safety and well-being of our community must always come first.

State Attorney Andrew Warren was also in attendance at today's press conference, and stated that it's unfortunate that the pastor is hiding behind the first amendment. "One it’s absolutely clear that emergency orders like this are clear and constitutional and valid," said Warren. "Second of all, leaders from our faith-based community from across have embraced the importance of social distancing. They’ve encouraged their congregations to practice social distancing for their own health and to slow the spread of COVID-19."

Last week, Howard-Browne claimed his church was “the most sterile building in America,” welcoming his congregation into his building this weekend. “The Lord has helped us to secure our congregation,” says Howard-Browne. “We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place, and uh, if somebody walks through the door it’s like, it kills everything on them. If they sneeze, it shoots it down at like 100 mph. It'll neutralize it in split seconds. We have the sterile building in, I don’t know, all of America.”

The Tampa pastor is a well-known conspiracy theorist, who in the past has told his followers that the Vegas shooting of 2017 was a false flag operation, that chemtrails and weather manipulation are real, and that he has the power to cure coronavirus in Florida, just like he did with Zika.

UPDATE: Howard-Browne has now officially been arrested, and was booked at 2:20 p.m. at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

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dzheremi said:

People like this pastor are acting contrary to this, making a show of their 'worship', and putting everyone in danger by their recklessness.

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HARK! said:

The right to freely assemble is passe in the modern world. Get with the 21st century. They didn't have modern viruses in times past.

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essentialsaltes said:

LINK

Last Sunday, evangelical pastor Rodney Howard-Browne held two church services in front of thousands of members at his mega church in Tampa, potentially exposing them to the coronavirus, and now Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warrant for his arrest.

Speaking at a press conference Monday afternoon, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the arrest order for Howard-Brown includes unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules, both are second-degree misdemeanors, punishable up to 60 days in jail, with a maximum fine of $500.

"Our goal is not to stop people from worshiping," said Chronister, "but the safety and well-being of our community must always come first.

State Attorney Andrew Warren was also in attendance at today's press conference, and stated that it's unfortunate that the pastor is hiding behind the first amendment. "One it’s absolutely clear that emergency orders like this are clear and constitutional and valid," said Warren. "Second of all, leaders from our faith-based community from across have embraced the importance of social distancing. They’ve encouraged their congregations to practice social distancing for their own health and to slow the spread of COVID-19."

Last week, Howard-Browne claimed his church was “the most sterile building in America,” welcoming his congregation into his building this weekend. “The Lord has helped us to secure our congregation,” says Howard-Browne. “We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place, and uh, if somebody walks through the door it’s like, it kills everything on them. If they sneeze, it shoots it down at like 100 mph. It'll neutralize it in split seconds. We have the sterile building in, I don’t know, all of America.”

The Tampa pastor is a well-known conspiracy theorist, who in the past has told his followers that the Vegas shooting of 2017 was a false flag operation, that chemtrails and weather manipulation are real, and that he has the power to cure coronavirus in Florida, just like he did with Zika.

UPDATE: Howard-Browne has now officially been arrested, and was booked at 2:20 p.m. at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

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HARK! said:

They didn't have modern viruses in times past.

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HARK! said:

The right to freely assemble is passe in the modern world. Get with the 21st century. They didn't have modern viruses in times past.

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The origin of smallpox is unknown.[13] The earliest evidence of the disease dates to the 3rd century BCE in Egyptian mummies.[13] The disease historically occurred in outbreaks.[10] In 18th-century Europe, it is estimated 400,000 people per year died from the disease, and one-third of the cases resulted in blindness.[10][14] These deaths included four reigning monarchs and a queen consort.[10][14] Smallpox is estimated to have killed up to 300 million people in the 20th century[15][16] and around 500 million people in the last 100 years of its existence.[17] As recently as 1967, 15 million cases occurred a year.[10]

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HARK! said:

Well, at least Florida isn't shutting down those wild beach parties.

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