Last Sunday, a Pensacola police officer interrupted a church service to enforce a child custody order. Parishioners recorded the incident on their cell phones. One video was posted on Facebook and received our 350,000 views.
Police Chief David Alexander has said the officer acted properly and has accused the pastor using his church as a shield to block the officer from retrieving the child. The pastor said he simply asked the officer to wait until the end of the service and to not to interrupt the service.
Here is how the story unfolded:
Pensacola police officer interrupts Sunday church service over custody issue (video) Update
A Pensacola Police officer interrupted the church service at Allen Chapel AME Pensacola this morning. As the congregation prepared for Holy Communion, she -with her hand on her pistol- tried to escort out a child involved in custody issue. The officer refused to wait in the foyer as Pastor Freddie […]
Chief Alexander: ‘The officer properly did her job’
From PPD press release: Pensacola Police Chief David Alexander III has reviewed facts related to a video posted this afternoon on Facebook regarding a child custody incident that occurred today at a local church. “The officer properly did her job in reviewing the court ordered paperwork and in […]
Allen Chapel pastor speaks out
Yesterday morning, I interviewed Rev. Freddie Tellis, pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church. This past Sunday, a Pensacola Police Officer, with her hand on her holstered pistol, interrupted the service at his church to take custody of Tellis’ granddaughter. The Tellis family has been involved in […]
Body cam video from Allen Chapel incident
The body cam videos from the Allen Chapel incident. You can hear the pastor asking the officer to have a seat: Â The supervisor arrives – waiting in the foyer for the service to end: Â The child escorted outside the church after the service:
Public records give a fuller picture of Allen Chapel incident
Before he issued his statement on Sunday about the Allen Chapel incident, Chief David Alexander didn’t contact Pastor Freddie Tellis or Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan to learn all the facts. According to the chief’s press release, the father “indicated he attempted on multiple occasions to […]
Body cam video conflicts with statements by Chief Alexander
In his press release, Chief David Alexander gave this description of the incident inside Allen Chapel AME Church: “Officer Darling waited outside the sanctuary and spoke with a female who stated she would get them. The woman went back inside and sat near the child but no one came out. A male […]