Pastor accused of defying coronavirus restrictions wasn’t allowed in court because he wouldn’t wear a mask – CNN

Through his attorney, Tony Spell on Tuesday entered not guilty pleas to six misdemeanor charges of violating the governor's emergency order by holding large gatherings at his Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge.

Spell was not allowed inside the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Baton Rouge, because he would not wear a face covering -- which is required to enter the building.

His attorney, Jeff Wittenbrink, was not available to answer questions on Wednesday morning, but did confirm that Spell was not in court.

"We don't get our rights to worship freely from the government we get those from God," Spell said. "We'd rather obey God than man."

Louisiana has had 162,214 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 5,388 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Spell's next hearing is scheduled for January 25, 2021.

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Pastor accused of defying coronavirus restrictions wasn't allowed in court because he wouldn't wear a mask - CNN