BATON ROUGE - Pastor Tony Spell, who defied the state's stay-at-home order in the early days of the pandemic by holding large services at his church, was not allowed into court for his own hearing Tuesday after he refused to abide by the courthouse's mask requirement.

Spell appeared at the 19th JDC Monday morning to face charges related to his repeated defiance of statewide restrictions on large gatherings at Life Tabernacle Church back in April.

Though the pastor showed up for his hearing, he refused to wear a face covering and was denied entry. His attorney entered the court in his place and entered a not guilty plea.

The hearing for the Central Pastor that refuses to abide the Governor’s orders, Tony Spell has been set for January 25th. Spell was not allowed in the courthouse because he refused to wear a mask. So his attorney entered while he stood outside with his supporters. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/IY4AZBw3zj

— Nadeen Abusada (@NadeenAbusada) September 22, 2020

A new hearing date was set for Jan. 25, 2021.