Southern Baptist leader arrested for soliticing male cop
Minister says he was in the area ministering to people
Jan 4, 7:20 PM
An executive committee member of the Southern Baptist Convention was arrested on a lewdness charge for propositioning a plainclothes policeman outside a hotel, police said.
Pastor Lonnie Latham has spoken out against gay marriage and urged gays to reject their 'sinful, destructive lifestyle.'
Lonnie Latham, senior pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church, was booked into Oklahoma County Jail Tuesday night on a misdemeanor charge of offering to engage in an act of lewdness, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said. Latham was released on $500 bail Wednesday afternoon.
Latham, who has spoken out against homosexuality, asked the officer to join him in his hotel room for oral sex. Latham was arrested and his 2005 Mercedes automobile was impounded, Becker said.
Calls to Latham at his church were not immediately returned Wednesday.
The arrest took place in the parking lot of the Habana Inn, which is in an area where the public has complained about male prostitutes flagging down cars, Becker said. The plainclothes officers was investigating these complaints.
The lewdness charge carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
After posting bond, Latham told KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City that he was set up, and was in the area ministering to people.
Latham is one of four Southern Baptist Convention executive committee members from Oklahoma.
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Baptist leader arrested for soliticing policeman
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