(TAMPA BAY TIMES) Prosecutors have dropped the charges against the Tampa pastor who held Sunday services despite county orders meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The office of Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren filed notice Friday that it will not pursue the case against Pastor Tampa Rodney Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay Church. Howard-Browne had been charged with unlawful assembly and violating quarantine orders during a public health emergency.
In a statement, Warren said Howard Browne’s arrest “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.”