November 26, 2013
Ky. Gay Couple Who Protested for License Fined 1 cent
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A gay couple arrested after refusing to leave the county clerk's office where they had been refused a marriage license have been found guilty of trespassing and fined one cent.
WLKY-TV says the judge conditionally discharged the fine.
The Rev. Maurice "Bojangles" Blanchard and Dominique James were arrested in January after refusing to leave at closing time.
Blanchard told The Courier-Journal after the verdict was returned it seemed the jury understood their stance and called it "a big victory."
Assistant Jefferson County Attorney Prosecutor Matthew Welch said evidence was overwhelming that the pair trespassed but he left it to the jury to decide the amount of the fine.
The newspaper said the men faced a maximum fine of $250 for the charge of third-degree trespassing.
