Criminal charges were dropped against the Christian man who was arrested last Saturday for reciting a Bible verse at a pride event in Reading, Pennsylvania.
As previously reported, Damon Atkins, a devout Christian, attended the pride event in Reading last week to share his beliefs and to express his interpretation of scripture.
Reading’s first-ever “Pride March and Rally,” supported by Mayor Eddie Moran, drew dozens of people outside the City Hall.
Atkins walked up to a public sidewalk just across the street from City Hall, holding a sign that said, “Jesus said go and sin no more.”
Police handcuffed Atkins and took him away.
Atkins was charged with “disorderly conduct.”
The District Attorney’s office dropped the charges this week.
The Lancaster Patriot reported:
Criminal charges against Damon Atkins, the Pennsylvania man who was arrested Saturday for publicly quoting the Bible, were dropped after the county District Attorney reviewed videos of the incident.
“After a review of the incident which took place on June 3, 2023, in the 800 block of Washington Street in the City of Reading, the District Attorney’s Office has withdrawn the charges of disorderly conduct filed against Damon Atkins,” a Facebook post from the Berks County District Attorney said.
In an e-mail provided to The Lancaster Patriot, Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach said that “based on the review of the evidence and the law the Berks County DA withdrew the charges today against Damon Atkins.”
In an earlier e-mail provided to The Lancaster Patriot, Commissioner Leinbach said the arrest could lead to potential legal action against the city and police department.
“From what I have seen thus far I believe this was an unlawful arrest and could open the City of Reading and their police department to legal action,” Leinbach said in the e-mail.
