FBI Spied on Central Church

 Scott Sherwin had his first conflict with Life Tabernacle Church in 2006 shortly after the church opened across from his house on Hooper Road. Sherwin started harassing 78-year-old Dorothy Spell, the wife of then-pastor Rev. B. A. Spell. Mrs. Spell was in poor health and recovering from major surgery.  According to Mrs. Spell who is now deceased, he came complaining about the church’s lights. She said Sherwin cursed and threatened her.  She was so upset and afraid that she filed a criminal complaint against Sherwin with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office.  A sheriff’s deputy came out and warned Sherwin to stay off church property and never to bother the Spells again.

If Sherwin had a grudge against Life Tabernacle, he certainly got his chance for payback during the pandemic in 2020.  Sherwin made known his opposition to Rev. Tony Spell’s decision to continue holding church services.  Not long afterwards, he was contacted by the FBI. According to an interview Sherwin did with French television, the FBI asked him to allow the use of his property to set up a surveillance system over Life Tabernacle.

In the video, Sherwin said the cameras collected the facial data of everyone attending church and their license plate numbers.

To watch video from French television, click here:

https://centralcitynews.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/RPReplay_Final1654110227.mov

As the surveillance of Life Tabernacle began, Sherwin gained the attention ,of church members as he stood in his driveway shouting obscenities at those arriving and departing from church.  

Soon the congregation was reporting that Sherwin would also stand in his driveway grabbing his crotch and making vulgar hand gestures.  He seemed to relish his vile performance for unaccompanied women. Rev. Tony Spell said some of the women in the congregation were so disturbed at Sherwin’s vulgarity that they never came back to the church.

Church members witnessed Sherwin grabbing his crotch and flipping off members hundreds of times.  Sherwin often did that in full view of his wife and in some instances while standing next to Central Police officers.

Rev. Tony Spell’s wife, Sister Shaye Spell said Tuesday that Scott Sherwin continues his vulgar gestures toward her even today. “Every time he sees me, he grabs his crotch and raises his middle finger at me.  It’s very disturbing.”

Rev. Spell said he and church members called the Sheriff’s office during the pandemic to report Sherwin’s behavior.  The pastor also called about other offenses against the congregation, such as a gunshot through a window in one of the buses.  When  he spoke to Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, the sheriff said he wasn’t going to do anything.  “Pastor, I came out and told you when this started not to have church. Cease and desist! No, I can’t send anyone out there,” Pastor Spell reported him saying.  

So the people upholding the First Amendment were denied ordinary law enforcement protection by the Sheriff.

In his interview with French television, Scott Sherwin was asked what he would like to see done about Life Tabernacle.  He was quick to say he’d like to take care of the problem with a Kalashnikov, which is a semi-automatic weapon generally known in the United States as an AK-47.

Sherwin’s wife, Natallia Vladimurovna, worriedly interrupted him, saying, “Stop, Scott!  Be quiet!”  

However, while Natallia might see the danger in making such an unhinged statement, Scott himself seems to live on the edge, always pushing the envelope with his vulgar cursing of churchgoers and his persistent use of obscene gestures.

Exactly how the FBI came to entrust Scott Sherwin with keeping extremely expensive and sophisticated spy equipment and having access to so much personal data about Life Tabernacle Church members is as yet unknown.

In the first half of 2020, Scott Sherwin worked closely with the FBI, Sheriff’s office, and the Central Police Department, and even the protestor, Trey Bennett.  

Both Sherwin and Bennett were constantly harassing church members, almost as though they hoped to incite them to violence.

Natallia Vladimurovna is a native of Belarus, which was part of the Soviet Union. She grew up under communism. Then in the 1990’s, Belarus declared its independence from Russia.  However,  Belarus never went through the reforms experienced in most of the former Soviet Union.  It retains most of the authoritarian characteristics it had under communism — no free elections, one-man dictatorship, state-run economy, lack of economic opportunities, and no human rights.

While people who live in Belarus may be forced to display their loyalty in order to survive, there are probably few people outside Belarus who celebrate that country. However, Scott Sherwin and Natallia Vladimurovna show their loyalty quite often by flying the flag of Belarus over their house.

Belarus is a strong ally of Russia and the only nation aligned with Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Since Natallia came to the U.S., she has worked in a variety of jobs, mostly at the Belle of Baton Rouge.  Her resumé online shows no employment in the United States prior to 2015. She studied at Belarus State Economics University in Minsk. She is listed as registered agent for Engin Energy Services, LLC. Scott Sherwin is a mechanical engineer.