Prince George’s County pastor holds service in defiance of Governor’s order

BOWIE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A defiant pastor in Prince George’s County appears to have disregarded Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s social distancing rules.

State Police interrupted a church service of about 50 people over the weekend, and the entire encounter was captured on cell phone video, and posted on the pastor’s Facebook page.

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A group of about 50 people gathered this past Sunday at Evangel Cathedral Church in Bowie – and none of them were social distancing.

Maryland State Police could be seen on video interrupting the service.

According to State Police, they arrived at the church around 7:30 p.m. after seeing a large crowd gathering inside Evangel Cathedral Church.

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Troopers told the group that they were in violation of the governor’s executive order, however no charges or arrests were made.

The service went on for another hour.

FOX 5 has discovered that a video was made by Pastor Erik Meares – and posted on his Facebook page.

FOX 5 reached out to the pastor for comment, but couldn’t get a hold of him.

Some people, however, say the gathering was just not at the right time – citing the social distancing guidelines intended to protect people from infection.

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Anyone caught disobeying the Governor’s order against mass gatherings could face up to a year in jail, or a $5,000 fine.