Article content
Who is Aylmer pastor Henry Hildebrandt, and how did he go from religious firebrand to COVID-19 provocateur?
“The church service did take place today, and the service was held inside the building. his matter is currently under investigation as to charges that will be proceeded with,” deputy police Chief Nick Novacich said in an email.
This latest act of defiance comes one week after church members entered the building last Sunday during a drive-in service, leading police to charge dozens of people under the Reopening Ontario Act.
Under new rules introduced Dec. 26 to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario, places of worship can hold indoor or outdoor gatherings limited to 10 people where physical distancing can be maintained. Drive-in religious services are permitted under some conditions.
AYLMER, ONT. Aylmer, Ont. police say they are reviewing evidence and are expecting to lay charges for breaching Ontario s emergency orders after a gathering at the Church of God on Sunday. A video posted to Pastor Henry Hildebrandt s YouTube page shows a group of maskless people inside the church on John Street North, which would violate provincial rules limiting in-person religious gatherings to 10 people. Aylmer police Chief Zvonko Horvat says, “Our investigation, this time around, will hopefully identify those individuals that were not only organizing but also in attendance and we will be charging all of those that we can identify.Everybody who is identified will be charged.”
Article content
Try refreshing your browser, or
Hildebrandt, 57, then runs over and hugs Adam Skelly, the Toronto barbecue restaurant owner who became a hero in the anti-restrictions movement after being charged for opening his eatery.
The crowd gathers around Hildebrandt while he continues his sermon before he invites the people inside the church building for “a tour.”
The congregants move inside the church, where they sit in the pews, pray and sing before the video ends.
Police received multiple complaints about the incident and have viewed footage of the gathering, Aylmer police Chief Zvonko Horvat said.
“We are going to be laying appropriate charges with respect to the breaches. Our intent is to charge everyone who has been in attendance,” Horvat said Monday.
Article content
Legal troubles continue to mount for a pastor’s son who faces new charges after a group of men surrounded a police vehicle and yelled at an officer outside an Aylmer church.
Aylmer’s police chief called the confrontation captured on video concerning and urged the town’s residents to stay calm amid rising tensions over COVID-19 restrictions.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser. Aylmer pastor s son charged after police officer s vehicle surrounded Back to video
Herbert Hildebrandt, 37, is charged with obstructing police and intimidation of a police officer following the heated encounter Sunday between a group of men and an officer outside the Church of God.