Wife Of Pastor Tony Spell Flashes ‘Wads Of Cash’ When She Bails Him Out For Allegedly Assaulting Protester

The wife of Louisiana pastor Tony Spell appeared to flash stacks of cash at a security camera as she bailed her husband out of jail, The Independent reports. The pastor is facing charges of assault for allegedly backing up a church bus in the direction of a protester.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Spell has been in hot water for weeks now. The pastor of Life Tabernacle Church has steadfastly refused to abide by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ social distancing orders that prohibit large gatherings, including places of worship, and has held church every Sunday during the coronavirus pandemic, vowing to never stop doing so.

On Sunday, Spell, who drives a bus around town to pick up parishioners who otherwise wouldn’t have a ride to church, allegedly backed up the bus in the direction of a man who was protesting outside the church.

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A warrant was issued for Spell’s arrest, and he was indeed later arrested and taken to jail.

Not long afterward, his wife, Shaye, showed up at the jail to bail him out. There, surrounded by reporters, she appeared to be smiling and showing off stacks of money — the $5,000 required to bail her husband out of jail.

As he left the building, Spell flashed a “V” for “Victory” sign at reporters and gave a statement.

“I am not guilty of any charges that I have been accused of. I am not guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. I am not guilty of defying any orders. The only thing I am guilty of is practicing my faith, which was given to me by Jesus Christ himself,” he said.

As Baton Rouge’s WAFB-TV reports, Spell also told reporters that he planned to go ahead and hold Tuesday night worship services at his church.

As for the man whom Spell allegedly assaulted, Trey Bennett, Spell has insisted that he merely wanted to talk to him and was not attempting to intimidate or harm him. He also claimed that Bennett has been outside his church for weeks and often makes “obscene gestures,” a claim Bennett denied.

Meanwhile, another arrest warrant is active for another person affiliated with the church. Video footage appeared to show a white truck approaching a protester at a high rate of speed and attempting to swerve at a protester before pulling into the church parking lot.

At least one person affiliated with the church has died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Spell has claimed that Harold Orillion did not die of COVID-19 but of Parkinson’s disease, spurred by a broken heart following the unrelated death of another church member.