Charges Dismissed Against Pastor For Violating Coronavirus Order

TAMPA, FL — The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office has dismissed charges against a Tampa pastor who was arrested March 30 after being accused of violating the county administrator's order against hosting church services during the coronavirus pandemic.

State Attorney Andrew Warren announced his decision not to move forward with the prosecution of the Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne Friday.

Howard-Browne, pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, was charged with unlawful assembly and violating quarantine orders during a public health emergency after the sheriff's office said he encouraged members of his congregation to attend two 3 1/2-hour-long Sunday services, despite the county prohibition against gatherings of more than 10 people.

Although Warren defended Sheriff Chad Chronister's arrest of Howard-Browne, saying it “remains an appropriate step taken by law enforcement to immediately correct irresponsible behavior after repeated efforts to gain cooperation in other ways were not successful," he said Howard-Browne has since maintained social-distancing guidelines and believes there is no need to go forward with prosecuting the pastor.

"Our county’s leaders were clear when they enacted their order: compliance is the goal, and prosecution is a last resort," Warren said. "When polite recommendations or stern warnings were insufficient, law enforcement was empowered as a temporary measure to correct the irresponsible behavior by making an arrest. Even in cases of arrest, compliance—not punishment—remains the objective."

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Since his arrest, Warren said Howard-Browne "has maintained responsible social distancing on his church campus while engaging with community leaders in a dialogue about the best path forward for his congregation."

"Our office has determined that further prosecution or punishment would not provide increased protections for our community and is not needed to achieve any additional change in Pastor Howard-Browne’s behavior," Warren said.

Chronister said he approved of Warren's decision to drop the charges.

“The State Attorney’s Office has recognized that compliance and not criminal punishment is the focus of our emergency health laws,” Chronister said. “Law enforcement’s intervention through arrest has been rare during this health crisis, and while it remains a necessary tool to protect the health and safety of our community, we agree that further criminal sanctions are not necessary in this instance."

On April 1, following national publicity surrounding Howard-Browne's arrest, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he was exempting churches, synagogues and other houses of worship from the statewide stay-at-home order.

In response, the week before Easter Sunday the Hillsborough County EPG issued a similar order allowing churches to hold services provided they heed 6-foot social-distancing guidelines.

According to Mat Staver, founder of the nonprofit conservative legal defense foundation, the Liberty Counsel, which represents Howard-Browne, said he was hours away from filing a federal lawsuit against Hillsborough County when the EPG amended its order.

"The county knew the lawsuit was coming and knew they would not win," he said. "We are pleased that every church in Florida is now free to worship. Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne brought worldwide attention to an unconstitutional order and arrest.”

Staver said Howard-Browne's arrest was not only unconstitutional but was a political maneuver by Warren, who was seeking publicity for his bid for re-election.

“The arrest of Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne was politically motivated. Neither the pastor nor The River at Tampa Bay Church did anything wrong," said Staver. "The arrest and the press conference (during the March 30 arrest) were outrageous and caught the attention of the nation and the world."

Staver said the misdemeanor charges against the pastor also violated the sheriff's own policies.

"The policy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is to NOT arrest a person charged with a misdemeanor," said Staver. "Sheriff Chronister violated his own internal policy by not allowing the pastor to go to the police station to process the paperwork. Instead, Chronister ran to a hastily called press conference where he repeatedly lied about the pastor and the church. These reckless lies have resulted in death threats to the pastor and even a bomb threat to the church."

He maintained that the 1,300-member church, founded by Howard-Browne in 1996, serves an essential service in the community, feeding 900 families each week, making outreach missions to inner-city neighborhoods and providing succor for panicked people during the coronavirus outbreak.

On April 29, Howard-Browne released a photo of he and his wife, Adonica, meeting with Chronister for lunch at the Howard-Brownes' home in Hernando County. Howard-Browne said they discussed "the way forward in the opening up of Hillsborough County" and the role of The River at Tampa Bay Church in cooperation with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

"It’s time to get our county back to normalcy - thank you, Sheriff Chronister," said Howard-Browne in a statement.

Staver added that Howard-Browne's arrest and the attending publicity did have a positive outcome.

"As a result of this arrest, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared attendance at churches, synagogues and houses of worship to be an essential activity," Staver said. "This arrest freed up every church in Florida to meet. We are pleased that all the charges have been dropped. It is now time to move forward with healing and restoration.”

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