so apparently the main reason was a hit car. still, a parked car can get hit by any number of passing and parking vehicles. another question is, is it still necessary for 15 people gathering in a house to have to get a permit?
It still seems there are some missing pieces to this puzzle, but as best as I can tell, the claim that it was a "religious assembly" is the sole pretext for cracking down on the couple. In other words, the county is not singling them out for the number of people at their home, but for a zoning violation.
and what do parked cars have to do with the questions allegedly asked by the police officer?
That's why you should never talk to the police. You think, "I haven't done anything wrong; I've got nothing to hide. Surely, nobody would object to our having a few friends over for dinner and Bible study. I'll just explain the situation and then the officer can be on his way."
Then you find out that your perfectly reasonable explanation is the very thing that's going to hang you.
I suspect that the neighbors have been annoyed for a while, and consider these Bible studies a nuisance. There's no other way to explain how a code enforcement officer arrived the same day as the car accident. Bible study attendee hits neighbor's friend's car; friend calls police; neighbor says, "They're running a church over there; we hear them speaking in tongues and barking like dogs at all hours, and they take up all the parking on the street. They're driving us crazy."
Police officer says, "Hmm ... if they're running a church, that's a zoning violation. I'd better call the code enforcement folks."
Code enforcement officer comes to the house and asks, "So what are you doing here? You got folks coming over singing, praying, studying the Bible?"
"Yup, that's right," says the pastor's wife.
She just made their case.
If she had kept her mouth shut, the county would have the burden of proving they were having a "religious assembly." Now they have to prove they're not a nuisance.
Still, I don't think the county can make this stick. We'll see. Local governments are always cracking down on Buddhists holding meetings in residential areas, but Buddhists aren't able to mobilize the entire Christian Right in their defense. I think county officials are going to be sorry they ever touched this case.
So to sum up:
1) Don't be a nuisance to the neighborhood.
2) Don't talk to the police.
3) Don't assume, mighty government functionary, that every citizen is just going to roll over and do whatever you say.
This video is about a traffic stop, but the principles are the same:
YouTube - What to do when STOPPED BY POLICE.