Christian Arrested for Maskless Church Service Paid by Liberal College Town

Three Christians who sued the city after being detained for not wearing masks at an outdoor service during the COVID-19 pandemic have reached a $300,000 settlement with a liberal college town in Idaho.

Arrest and Lawsuit

Gabriel Rench and Rachel and Sean Bohnet filed a lawsuit against Moscow’s government in March 2021.

They claimed that their First and Fourth Amendment rights had been violated when they were detained at an outdoor “psalm sing” organized by their church members in September 2020.

This week, the city of Moscow announced that it would settle with the two parties.

Moscow’s population of nearly 25,000 includes the University of Idaho, and the local church Christ Church, which is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, has about 1,000 members.

During the incident, Rench’s hymnal was taken by officers before he was escorted in handcuffs to the county jail, where he and the others were held for several hours. The video of the arrests went viral and drew criticism from then-President Trump on Twitter.

DEMS WANT TO SHUT YOUR CHURCHES DOWN, PERMANENTLY. HOPE YOU SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING. VOTE NOW! https://t.co/dqvqz6b1WD

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020

The psalm-singing protest lasted about 20 minutes in front of Moscow City Hall, where city administrators placed small yellow marks six feet apart as a guide for social distancing.

Outcasts

According to the city’s expanded health ordinance, activities protected by the U.S. Constitution and the Idaho State Constitution were allowed, but Rench and the others were allegedly in violation of the rules for religious gatherings.

US: A court has dismissed all charges against Gabriel Rench, a church deacon who was one of the three arrested last September for singing while not wearing a mask at a ‘psalm sing’ outdoor worship service held in Moscow City, Idaho. pic.twitter.com/mp0wdM7rxx

— Apex World News (@apexworldnews) January 17, 2021

In a memorandum and order denying the city’s motion to dismiss on February 1, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Morrison C. England Jr. stated that the plaintiffs should never have been detained in the first place.

He also ruled that the city’s interpretation of the code’s legality is irrelevant. A magistrate judge later dismissed the city’s case against them.

Since his arrest and the subsequent settlement, Rench revealed to Fox News Digital that he continues to be treated as an outcast in his mostly liberal neighborhood.

Rench claims that members of his community have called him an “idiot” who does not “love his neighbor” and encouraged him to “take the payout and run.”

This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.