Louisiana Priest Arrested In Demonic Act With Two Women On Church Altar JONATHAN TURLEY
Rev. Travis Clark, 37, has been arrested with two women, Mindy Dixon, 41, and Melissa Cheng, 23, after an alleged sex act on the altar of his church. New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond said that the tryst at Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church was demonic and has ordered the altar removed and burned. If true, this was an act of utter depravity and a terrible desecration of this church, but the prosecution could raise some challenging issues under the Constitution.Police report that a witness was surprised to see the light on in the church and went to investigate. The police were called when Clark was seen through a window at the altar. He was partially undressed in his priestly attire and allegedly engaged in a sexual tryst with two high-heeled, corseted women.The three were charged with obscenity charges for having sex within the view of the public. That charge could raise some interesting legal issues and a viable (if novel) criminal defense.
We have often discussed the controversy over obscenity standards, including a recent charge against the producers of the movie Cuties.
In this case, the charge may hinge on the question of whether the sexual encounter could be seen from a public space. Under the Louisiana criminal code, the operative language is found in Section 106:
Theologically speaking, it seems the Reverend is a switch-hitter. Legally, it’s a close call but not really that interesting. Late at night in a church — is that public or not? Eh, whatever.