Obscenity charge dropped against priest who had threesome with dominatrices on his altar

Charge dropped in favour of one count of insitutional vandalism

Mr Clark’s actions were described as ‘demonic’ by Archbishop of New Orleans (St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office )

Obscenity charges against a former priest and two professional dominatrices have been dropped, with authorities choosing to pursue one count of institutional vandalism instead.

The three were accused of performing sex acts on the altar of a Catholic Church in Pearl River, Louisiana in late September 2020.

Travis John Clark, 37, then pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Mindy Lynn Dixon, 41, of Kent, Washington, and Melissa Kamon Cheng, 28, of Alpharetta, Georgia, were charged with the felony.

The three are accused of “knowingly vandalising, defacing, or otherwise damaging property and causing damage valued at over $500 and under $50,000”, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.

On the night of 29 September 2020, a passerby said they noticed lights on in the church and saw Mr Clark having sex on the altar with two corset-clad women in high heels. The witness handed a recording of what they saw to the police.

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The altar was allegedly lit up with stage lights, sex toys were found at the scene, and a phone mounted on a tripod appeared to be recording the encounter. All the items were removed as evidence.

Police booked the three on an obscenity charge, which under Louisiana law is defined as having sex in any “place open to the public view”. Such a charge can lead to three years in jail.

Attorney Bradley Phillips, who represents Ms Dixon and Ms Cheng, said on Friday that the district attorney had rightfully chosen to not pursue obscenity charges against his clients.

He had previously argued that their conduct was private and legal because it did not take place in public.

“Instead, after waiting nearly six months, the state has decided to move forward with a lesser charge of ‘institutionalised vandalism’. It is clear the state went out of its way to contort the facts of this case in order to fit their own narrative,” Mr Phillips said in a statement.

“Once again, they have overstepped their bounds as this nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to regulate the morality of private individuals. Just because you don’t like something, doesn’t make it criminal,” he added. “My clients look forward to their day in court as we continue to fight this baseless allegation.”

After the incident, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond condemned Mr Clark’s actions as “obscene and deplorable”.

“His desecration of the altar in church was demonic. I am infuriated by his actions,” said Mr Aymond. “When the details became clear, we had the altar removed and burned.”

The incident is the latest scandal to hit the archdiocese which is reeling from alleged child sexual abuse revelations and having had to file for bankruptcy.