Oklahoma City – A former Baptist minister who had spoken out against homosexuality was acquitted Wednesday of propositioning an undercover male police officer.
A judge found Lonnie Latham not guilty of the misdemeanor charge of offering to engage in an act of lewdness. If convicted, he would have faced up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Latham, 61, was arrested Jan. 3, 2006, outside a hotel in Oklahoma City. Police had accused Latham of asking the undercover officer for oral sex, which Latham denied. Latham’s attorney, Mack Martin, argued during the trial that it is not illegal for consenting adults to engage in private homosexual acts, so a request to participate in such an act is not illegal. District Attorney David Prater said the state has a legitimate interest in regulating such requests.
Latham resigned as pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church after his arrest and from the board of directors of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.
