Louisiana pastor arrested for holding services in spite of lockdown order

Published March 31, 2020 6:05pm ET



A Louisiana pastor will be charged on six counts of misdemeanor for holding services in defiance of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’s stay at home order.

Tony Spell, pastor of the Life Tabernacle Church near Baton Rouge, was arrested Tuesday morning. He faces individual charges for each time he held a service in his church that exceeded the 10-person limit set by Edwards, according to the local CBS affiliate. Spell faces a $500 fine and up to six months in prison, according to East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore.

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