SPINDALE, N.C. — A leader of a North Carolina religious group was sentenced Monday to two years probation in an assault case, more than nine years after her trial ended without a verdict.
Brooke Covington, 68, is a leader at World of Faith Fellowship in Spindale, North Carolina. Prosecutors say she and others choked and beat a young man for two hours in 2013 while they prayed to expel “homosexual demons.”
Covington pleaded to two misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment and simple assault and entered a plea deal to drop a felony kidnapping charge, the Associated Press reported.
The judge did sentence Covington to more than a month in jail but suspended the sentence, meaning she won’t serve the time if she completes her probation.
Covington was also ordered to complete 30 hours of community service benefiting children or young adults.
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