A controversial Alabama creationist preacher who recently sued the federal government for half a billion dollars was arrested in late July in a domestic assault case.
An arrest warrant dated July 19 alleges that the Rev. Kent Hovind, known as “Dr. Dino,” intentionally threw his estranged wife, Cindi Lincoln, to the ground, causing bodily harm.
The same day the arrest warrant was filed, Lincoln also filed a petition for a protective order against Hovind in Conecuh County, Alabama. The petition alleges one of Hovind’s associates threatened Lincoln with a gun in January 2021. The alleged domestic assault occurred in October 2020, according to the petition.
Reached by telephone, Hovind, who is out on bail, said he could not comment in detail on the arrest, saying the matter would be resolved in court and that there was “nothing to it.”
Shortly after, Hovind streamed a video on YouTube addressing the charges, saying he had been falsely accused.
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“It’s going to be fine, it’s going to be fine,” he said. “I’m squeaky clean.”
News of the arrest and the request for a protective order was first posted by Robert Baty, a blogger who has been critical of Hovind.
Hovind has long been a controversial figure.
In 2006, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for tax fraud after failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income and failing to pay taxes on wages for employees at the Creation Science and Dinosaur Adventure Land in Florida. Hovind has claimed that everything he owns belongs to God and that therefore he owes no taxes.
Hovind’s first wife was also sentenced to prison time on tax charges. The couple has since divorced.
Hovind continues to maintain his innocence in the tax fraud case.
After his release from prison, Hovind moved to Conecuh County, Alabama, where he set up a new Dinosaur Adventure Land, a Christian campground that promotes creationism. The campground’s logo features a brontosaurus looking up at three crosses on a hilltop.
Dinosaur Adventure Land is run by Creation Science Evangelism Ministries Inc., a nonprofit where Hovind serves as president. The charity collected $560,638 in revenue during the fiscal year 2018, according to documents filed with the IRS.
Hovind’s YouTube channel — which describes him as the “most hated creationist on earth” — has 184,000 subscribers and features a mix of videos about creationism and Bible studies. The channel has received more than 25 million views.
In a video posted after his July arrest, Hovind asked supporters to pray God would protect the ministry from outside threats.
“Lord, build a hedge of protection around us as we’re being attacked,” he prayed.
In 2020, Hovind sued the federal government and a number of government officials over his past conviction and the seizure of property belonging to his past ministry in Florida. That lawsuit was recently dismissed. An appeal is planned.
Bob Smietana is a national reporter for Religion News Service.
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6 Responses
Hovind was a guest speaker at a large church I was attending 20(ish) years ago. As part of his presentation, he relayed a conversation where someone asked him, “where would man be without woman?” His attempt at a humorous response was “the garden of Eden.” He was so abrasive in his entire presentation. Little surprise his marriage didn’t work out. I’ve also seen him in a video debating Hugh Ross. Little observable fruit of the spirit on Hovind’s side of the conversation. Nothing in this article surprises me about him.
Calling Kent Hovind a “controversial preacher” is like calling Bernie Madoff a “controversial financial advisor”.
The number of scientifically literate people driven away from Jesus by Hovind and his ilk is one of the greatest tragedies in modern Evangelicalism. Hovind is on track for a dinosaur-sized millstone around his neck.
I agree with you, although I have more of a problem calling him a “preacher.”
[ . . . ] Among all the other things [Kent Hovind] has done, perhaps the worst is his hosting of a registered sex offender in his compound over the last few years. Hovind claims his friend was falsely convicted, but this man to brought an unaccompanied prepubescent child who (no relation) across state lines (from Georgia to Alabama) to his compound, and then spent the night in the same bed with the boy.
Does this sound like something anyone in their right mind would allow a convicted sex offender do to, regardless of how innocent they claim to be?
In case you think I’m just making this up, a couple of former associates of Hovind have been leaking text message exchanges which confirm the details, including an exchange with Paul Hansen (a close Hovind confidant who is also a convicted criminal, like Hovind) where the sleeping arrangements for the boy are discussed with some urgency and concern:
http://kehvrlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Hansen-Defends-Jones-2019.pdf
The boy has appeared in one or more of Hovind’s videos. It’s highly unsavory stuff but it’s important to expose Hovind for the criminal and unrepentant reprobate he is, given that so many people in the evangelical community still admire him for his creationist preachings. He forever portrays himself to be the victim, but with every month that passes, it becomes clearer just how egotistical, manipulative and mendacious the man truly is.
In a recent cringe worthy debate with Michael Jones from Inspiring Philosophy on a creationist related topic MJ had to briefly correct Kent out of his modalist view of God.
I have been a member of the traditional Roman Catholic Church my entire life. I credit the Catholic Church for creating the foundation of knowledge of God the Father son and Holy Spirit and most of my faith, love, trust, love of neighbor, and knowledge about God comes from Kent Hovind most of all.