Over the weekend, conspiracy theorist Rodney Howard-Browne kept his church open. He held a service at The River in Tampa Bay and laughably said if people just had faith, God would magically multiply their toilet paper rolls.
This is the same guy who said he wouldn’t close down his church due to COVID-19 because if anyone sneezed, he would just “neutralize it in split seconds” with his 13 special machines.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister now says he’s seeking an arrest warrant against that same Rodney Howard-Browne.
Sheriff Chronister says the pastor “repeatedly” violated social distancing orders from the president, CDC and local authorities.
“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,” the sheriff said.
It’s not surprising considering the sheriff visited his church after services yesterday:
Right-wing pastor Rodney Howard-Browne has repeatedly stated that he will never cancel services at his The River church in Tampa. Now it looks like he received a visit from the local sheriff's office after holding services yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ABFYq4RtCg
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) March 30, 2020
Howard-Browne will inevitably claim this is an example of Christian persecution. It’s not. It’s local law enforcement rightly going after a man who is threatening the lives of his entire community, whether he acknowledges that or not.
He just happens to be a pastor, too.
(Thanks to @GreyEyes7 for the link)