01/05/2006
Baptist Reverend "Pastoring to Police" is Caught, Arrested
It seems that the most vocal homophobes are also often the biggest hypocrites.
Lonnie Latham, a senior pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church, was arrested for asking a plainclothes policeman to accompany him to his hotel room for oral sex.
According to the Associated Press, Latham has "spoken out against same-sex marriage and in support of a Southern Baptist Convention directive urging its 42,000 churches to befriend gays and lesbians and try to convince them that they can become heterosexual 'if they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and reject their sinful, destructive lifestyle.'"
Latham was arrested in a parking lot where male hustlers flag down cars, according to police. He was released on $500 bail and briefly spoke to reporters: "I was set up. I was in the area pastoring to police."
Explain that to the congregation.
Okla. Pastor Arrested on Lewdness Charge [tr]
Posted 10:14 AM EST by Andy Towle in Current Affairs | Permalink
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I wonder if he's a top or a bottom.
Posted by: Toby | Jan 5, 2006 10:30:24 AM
The old adage rings true:
"Do I remind you of a part of you that you despise?"
Posted by: midnight lounge | Jan 5, 2006 10:33:31 AM
He was only there to offer his lip service to the cops.
Posted by: jeff | Jan 5, 2006 10:46:33 AM
Pitiful. I wonder if the Westboro Baptist Church will picket his hearing.
Posted by: Liam | Jan 5, 2006 10:53:31 AM
Is it illegal to invite someone to your hotel room for oral sex??
Posted by: Mark | Jan 5, 2006 10:58:18 AM
The "reverend" Mr Latham propositioned the cop in an area frequented by hustlers, so the cop must have thought Liplock Lonnie was a hustler, too.
Posted by: Liam | Jan 5, 2006 11:23:11 AM
Yeah it's hilarious but wtf kind of charge is "offering to engage in an act of lewdness"?? Is it really illegal now to say to someone hey let's go to a motel and blow each other?
'course I don't know exactly what was said, but it really seems like an odd charge...
Posted by: Pete | Jan 5, 2006 11:44:46 AM
I assume that the reason it's illegal is becuase he was asking an officer? Other than that, I don't see where asking another adult to engage in consensual sex is illegal.
Posted by: Murphy | Jan 5, 2006 11:58:19 AM
Wow, he's hot. Did he have that mug shot taken at Glamour Shots? At Woodland Hills Mall, maybe? I would have opted for the Barbara Walters lens filter to help minimize some of those lines and blemishes, but hey that's just me.
I'm from Oklahoma originally, and I'm not at all surprised. Those preachers who scream the loudest about the sin of others usually have the most to hide in their own lives.
This guy, along with others of his kind, is a pathetic vomitous mass and deserves every bit of scorn that's coming his way. After all the sadness and pain he's caused others, it's nice to see him reap what he has sown.
Posted by: Brian | Jan 5, 2006 12:08:22 PM
Pure hypothesis, but, the illegality of the action must have come from the circumstances and the location: Me-Love-You-Lonnie-Time was not alone, but surrounded by hustlers who were flagging down cars and offering their services to the drivers. The police knew it was a pick-up area for prostitutes and as Our Hero wasn't clutching a Bible or spouting anti-slapper epithets the police thought he was a Professional.
If he had met someone in a bar, even a cop, and offered cost-free mouth love, he would not have been arrested (even in Okla., I'm assuming). Who knows, maybe the other guys all ran away, and he was left standing, mouth agape, thinking "What would Jesus do NOW?"
Posted by: Liam | Jan 5, 2006 3:07:32 PM
He is so full of it. He had a room at the Habbanna Inn which is a gay sex resort in Oklahoma City. I guess he wanted to minister to people with his window curtains open offering himself up along the Troll Stroll.
Posted by: John | Jan 5, 2006 4:14:47 PM
But was the cop off-duty?
Posted by: Jacko | Jan 5, 2006 7:08:34 PM
With a mug like that he HAD to offer to pay for it... which is illegal?
Posted by: HisHolynessDPope | Jan 5, 2006 8:12:50 PM
There's quite a few cops I'd like to "pastor" to.
Another fucking Bush ass-licking hypocrite.
Posted by: fred | Jan 5, 2006 9:36:50 PM
I do love it when these religious right hypocrits are uncovered. Here is a link to the story that was written in our local gay online newspaper:
http://www.hnokc.com/default.aspx?pageid=69&articleid=59083701520060104162320
A little correction to what John said though. He didn't have a room at the Habana. And calling it a "gay sex resort" might be a little much.
Posted by: Bry | Jan 5, 2006 10:43:04 PM