Former Priest Claims Sexual Misconduct Law Unconstitutional

The State Supreme Court has heard arguments in a case involving former priest James Beine, who is serving time for sexual misconduct in connection with claims from elementary school students that Beine exposed himself to them. Beine, a school counselor in St. Louis when the accusations came to light, is challenging the validity of the state’s sexual misconduct law. An attorney for Beine told the Court the law is unconstitutionally vague because the incident occurred in a boy’s bathroom and involved Beine urinating while standing several feet back from the urinal. The lawyer claims anyone urinating in a restroom has no choice but to expose himself to some degree, and that the law, as it exists, requires a juror to find a person guilty of a crime if that exposure causes affront or alarm to a child under the age of 14.