A Florida pastor who was arrested for holding a church service in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has had his charges dismissed.

Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne, who pastors The River at Tampa Bay Church in Hillsborough County, Florida, held a church service in March despite the ordered closure of churches due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Howard-Browne was also accused of defying orders from authorities in his Flordia county, CBN News reports.

The criminal misdemeanor charges against the pastor, however, were dropped Friday.

Liberty Counsel, Howard-Browne's legal representation, released a statement regarding their client's legal situation.

"Neither the pastor nor The River at Tampa Bay Church did anything wrong," Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel says.

d therein is/are dismissed and prosecution is terminated as of this date and that the defendant need not appear for any further proceedings in this matter," the document reads.

State Attorney Andrew Warren in a statement says Hillsborough County's emergency order treats violations of social distancing as "a problem to solve, much more than a person to punish.

"Pastor Howard-Browne's arrest accomplished the safer-at-home order's goal, which is compliance with the law," Warren explains.