A Louisiana priest and two dominatrices have been charged with vandalism after they were caught filming themselves romping on top of an altar last year.
Travis Clark, 37, Mindy Dixon, 41, and Melissa Cheng, 28, were initially charged with obscenity following the alleged threesome at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Pearl river, last September.
However, on Friday, the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office reduced the charges on all three to vandalism, NOLA reports.
The trio were caught out last year after a passerby spotted the group through a window and reported them to the police, according to court documents.
Travis Clark, 37, (pictured) a Louisiana priest and two dominatrices have been charged with vandalism after they were caught filming themselves romping on top of an altar last year
Mindy Dixon, 41, (left) and Melissa Cheng, 28, (right), along with Clark, were initially charged with obscenity following the alleged threesome at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Pearl river, last September
The documents also showed that Dixon and Cheng had been wearing corsets and high heels during the intercourse.
Officers recovered sex toys, lighting and recording equipment when they arrested the group.
Dixon and Cheng’s lawyer Bradley Phillips said that the state tried to ‘contort the facts’ and that they ‘overstepped their bounds’ bringing charges against his clients.
Speaking to NOLA, he said: ‘This [is] 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. My clients look forward to their day in court as we continue to fight this baseless allegation.’
At the time of their arrest, Dixon and Cheng told officers they had been at the church to film ‘roleplay’ with Clark.
While condemning Clark’s alleged sexual exploits, Aymond asked the congregation not to judge the church or priesthood as a whole by Clark’s actions
Their lawyers have argued the incident took place behind closed doors on private property – and that it was the passerby who looked in the window who was to blame.
Cheng has since claimed the night has caused her severe mental and physical stress and she is suffering from nightmares, writing on her GoFundMe account: ‘The fact that I am being vilified like this is quite frankly, appalling.
‘I understand that people may be upset by this situation, but that does not make this conduct illegal or criminal in any way. I would implore anyone seeking to pass judgement to direct their energy elsewhere.
‘In order for me to come out of this in a strong, empowered, and healthy way I must take a hiatus from work, and social media, as my life has been overtaken by the publicity of this scenario, which I could have never in my wildest dreams fathomed to be my reality, yet here I am.
‘I am an empowered woman, dominatrix, and a believer of safe, sane, consensual, and private BDSM practices.
‘The bail [which has already been paid], the time off work, time spent in jail, content lost and seizure of my belongings [film & lighting equipment, 1k worth of makeup], lawyer fees, and the toll on my mental and physical well being has amounted to no small price.’
She continued: ‘The trauma and mental & physical stress of the situation has caused my chronic preexisting health condition, P.O.T.S. Syndrome to flare up again, when previously in recovery up until this present moment.
‘Without time away to rest and recover away from the public eye, my chronic illness will leave me bed ridden [again] and unable to perform simple daily tasks.’
On her OnlyFans account, Cheng complained about the passerby who witnessed the sexual act, saying: ‘My privacy gets violated and I get in trouble.
‘Maybe people shouldn’t snoop in windows and then complain about what they see, especially at night. Ridiculous.
The day after his arrest, Clark was removed from the church (pictured) and the altar was burned, with a new one being consecrated last October
‘I’m so shaken up, I keep having nightmares and panic attacks and literally can’t work on anything. I feel overwhelmed with anxiety from this ordeal.’
It’s not clear who arranged the illicit church liaison that ended with Dixon, Cheng and Clark in jail, but it is known that the two dominatrices had traveled to Louisiana and met with the pastor.
Police concluded that the threesome had been consensual but arrested the group anyway on the obscenity charges because they had been in view of the public.
The day after his arrest, Clark was removed from the church and the altar was burned, with a new one being consecrated last October.
Archbishop Gregory Aymond accused Clark of being ‘unfaithful to his vocation’ and violating ‘his commitment to celibacy and also he was using that which was holy to do demonic things.’
While condemning Clark’s alleged sexual exploits, Aymond asked the congregation not to judge the church or priesthood as a whole by Clark’s actions.
The Archbishop continued by reiterating the church is a holy place, and said that when it is used for unholy things ‘and has been desecrated, we must drive away the evil spirit, That is what we do today.’
‘This is a new altar,’ he continued. ‘It is a gift from the Archdiocese of New Orleans to remind you how much we care for you and how sorry we are that you had to go through this very, very difficult time.’