Two members of a Connecticut religious group who were arrested Thursday on trespassing charges said God told them to do it.
For decades, Lee Ecker, 77, and Theresa Bellavance, 47, members God’s House, have been camping out on public property, police said. Recently, they were arrested after apparently ignoring a notice to vacate town property off Allen Street in the Moosup section of Plainfield.
Handcuffed and dressed in white from head to toe, they were arraigned in Danielson Superior Court on Thursday.
“The only thing J.C. and Theresa are guilty of is hearing the voice of God and obeying him,” Ecker said, the Norwich Bulletin reports.
When asked if she would comply with the order if released, Bellavance told the judge, “May God’s will be done,” the Norwich Bulletin reports.
He took the answer as a yes and agreed to release them as long as they promised to appear.
Ecker, who is known as J.C. Foster, and Bellavance, who is known as Sister Rachel, have repeatedly been evicted from locations in Northeast Connecticut over the past 20 years and claim it’s all part of their mission to spread God’s word.
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Back in 2003, Ecker and Bellavance were evicted from a Plainfield house that was covered with posters that bore scripture verses and a sign that asks people to ask town officials about why God's wrath is coming to town.
