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A Louisiana lawyer representing a pastor charged with violating the state’s coronavirus prevention measures by holding large church gatherings has now come down with the sickness himself, a report says.
Jeff Wittenbrink, who is defending Tony Spell of the Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, has been hospitalized in the city since Tuesday after testing positive, according to The Advocate. Wittenbrink, who attended two events at Spell’s church on April 2 and 5, is on oxygen while suffering from a high fever and persistent cough.
"I went to Albertson's twice a day. I went to Sam's. I went to Walmart. I went to Lowe's. I used the gas pumps. I mean, I just wasn't careful,” he told the website on Thursday. “God knows where I got it. The bad thing is I might have spread to somebody. I feel bad about that.”
Tony Spell, inset, a pastor at the Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, is being represented by Jeff Wittenbrink. The lawyer reportedly now has the coronavirus. (Google Maps/Facebook)
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Most churches have transitioned to online services during the coronavirus outbreak, but Spell has been one of the holdouts.
“The church is the last force resisting the Antichrist; let us assemble regardless of what anyone says,” he told Reuters in early April.
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But because of that stance, Spell is now facing six misdemeanor counts of violating the Louisiana governor’s ban on large gatherings of more than 50 people. One of his services in late March drew an estimated 10 times that number.
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Spell said he told his congregation of Wittenbrink’s diagnosis and is praying for his recovery, The Advocate reported.
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And despite the fact he is now battling the coronavirus, the 59-year-old attorney remains determined to represent Spell in the pastor’s expected legal fight against the state of Louisiana.
"I'm very proud of Pastor Spell,” Wittenbrink told The Advocate. “I think he's one of the few people who understands we shouldn't just throw away our civil liberties without a fight just because there's some kind of crisis going on."
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace, Caleb Parke and Robert Gearty contributed to this report.
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