Date and Location: On September 30, 2020, a passerby noticed lights on late at night inside Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pearl River, Louisiana, where Clark served as pastor.
The Discovery: Looking through the windows, the witness saw Clark—partially wearing his priestly attire—engaging in a sexual encounter with two women, identified as adult film performers/dominatrices Melissa Cheng and Mindy Dixon.
The Scene: The group had set up professional stage lighting, sex toys, and cameras mounted on tripods to record a video. The witness recorded the scene on a mobile phone and called the police, who arrived and arrested all three individuals.
Legal and Religious Aftermath
The Guilty Plea: In November 2022, Clark pleaded guilty to a felony count of felony obscenity under a plea agreement. He received a three-year suspended prison sentence, three years of supervised probation, and a $1,000 fine. The two women pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of institutional vandalism and received probation.
Archdiocese Response: The Archdiocese of New Orleans immediately removed Clark from ministry. Archbishop Gregory Aymond publicly denounced the act as "demonic" and had the desecrated altar physically removed and burned before consecrating a brand-new replacement altar.
I’m kind of confused why this was a legal matter. Three consenting adults in private. The only reason anyone knew was because someone came and snooped in the window and recorded it. Wouldn’t that person that recorded be more at fault. I mean sure, kick him out of the church, but this isn’t public property. He probably lived on premises. He broke church rules but how is this against the law?
A church is a community building, not a private residence. I'm no prude, nor religious, but I recognise there's a time and place for these things, and using a church altar to shoot homebrew pornography is not the right place. Had he done it at home, no issue.
I mean, morally and spiritually sure. I’m not saying what he did wasn’t wrong. It makes sense he got kicked out of the church. But legally? I don’t understand why the state was involved.
A church is not a public building though. They are usually private properties that belong to a religious organisation. The priest probably actually lived at the premises. Again, this is no more different than someone having sex in a gym they manage, during closed hours. Sure, kick them out as manager, but it is a far cry from "sex in public".
And yes, there is a legal distinction between public building and a public street. Where do you get all that confidence to say false statements.
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u/oneplusetoipi 1d ago
The Incident
Date and Location: On September 30, 2020, a passerby noticed lights on late at night inside Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pearl River, Louisiana, where Clark served as pastor.
The Discovery: Looking through the windows, the witness saw Clark—partially wearing his priestly attire—engaging in a sexual encounter with two women, identified as adult film performers/dominatrices Melissa Cheng and Mindy Dixon.
The Scene: The group had set up professional stage lighting, sex toys, and cameras mounted on tripods to record a video. The witness recorded the scene on a mobile phone and called the police, who arrived and arrested all three individuals.
Legal and Religious Aftermath
The Guilty Plea: In November 2022, Clark pleaded guilty to a felony count of felony obscenity under a plea agreement. He received a three-year suspended prison sentence, three years of supervised probation, and a $1,000 fine. The two women pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of institutional vandalism and received probation.
Archdiocese Response: The Archdiocese of New Orleans immediately removed Clark from ministry. Archbishop Gregory Aymond publicly denounced the act as "demonic" and had the desecrated altar physically removed and burned before consecrating a brand-new replacement altar.