Pastor (Lonnie Latham) found not guilty of lewdness charge

[Ian David]

OKLAHOMA CITY A judge found former Baptist church leader Lonnie Latham not guilty today of the misdemeanor charge of offering to engage in an act of lewdness.

The reverend was an outspoken opponent of homosexuality before he was arrested on Jan. 3, 2006, outside the Habana Inn in Oklahoma City on an allegation that he had propositioned an undercover policeman.

Special Judge Roma McElwee's ruling was based on the evidence, not on the larger question of the constitutionality of the law.

Latham's attorney had argued that solicitation of sexual acts between two consenting adults is legal, and, therefore, Latham committed no crime.

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