A Louisiana state judge has reversed the seizure and ordered the return of electronic devices belonging to Travis Clark, a former Roman Catholic priest. Clark rose to prominence in 2020 for his role in a COVID-19 related kerfuffle at Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pearl River. The judge’s ruling follows the erasure of all data from Clark’s devices, which were confiscated as evidence in the investigation.
The Reverend Travis Clark, as he was known while serving his parish, was discovered in a compromising and scandalous position. He filmed sexual acts with two dominatrices in the church altar. Lady Vi, aka Satanatrix, and Empress Ming were shooting with Clark. At one point, an intrigued passerby spotted the gathering through a window. This witness quickly called authorities to report the incident.
The episode provoked intense outrage in the Catholic community, resulting in Clark’s publicly arrest at the diocese’s demand and criminal charges of obscenity. In December 2022, he pled guilty and was sentenced to probation. Lady Vi and Empress Ming suffered legal consequences, both pleading guilty to misdemeanors and eventually receiving similar probationary sentences.
In the wake of this most recent scandal, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond led the charge. He burned the altar and consecrated a new altar to bring back respect and attention to the sacred space.
Clark’s attorneys, Marc Hoerner and Michael Kennedy, claimed what was at issue were consenting adults. They felt it should never have been criminalized. As Lady Vi said after the incident, “What should be important is we are consenting adults, making porn in a private space.” They made a persuasive case on this front. This interpretation focuses on their apparent intention to argue that all of their actions were consensual. They claim that they lacked intent to insult or injure.
Clark was indeed punished for his conduct that day. He spent time in jail for missing probation appointments stemming from that first obscenity charge. Clark confronted that difficult time directly. He admitted, “Struggling and falling, sinning, too… priests sin as well,” deepening the complex nature of his struggles and their consequences.