Alabama minister arrested over gay wedding pleads guilty
May 18, 2015, 2:00 PM
PRATTVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A minister who tried to perform a gay wedding in an Alabama courthouse pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Monday but will avoid serving time in jail.
Anne Susan DiPrizio, 44, entered the plea in Autauga County, The Montgomery Advertiser (http://on.mgmadv.com/1EXTbRt) reported.
A judge ordered her to pay a $250 fine and suspended her 30-day jail sentence. She will spend six months on probation but doesn’t have to report to an officer.
“I’m glad this is over and we can put this behind us,” DiPrizio said after the hearing.
Authorities arrested the Unitarian minister in February in Prattville while some counties were issuing same-sex wedding licenses in Alabama.
DiPrizio had offered to marry two women inside the Autauga County Probate Office even though the judge had banned all ceremonies in the office the day before.
The wedding didn’t take place, but the women did get a marriage license. DiPrizio spent about three hours in jail before being released on a $1,000 bond.
Counties have since quit issuing the licenses as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether same-sex weddings are constitutional, but hundreds of same-sex couples wed statewide while the licenses were available.
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