An active member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of predominantly gay men who openly mock Catholics, was arrested in California last month for indecent exposure after witnesses say he masturbated in public for an hour, according to a sheriff’s office report obtained by The Daily Wire.
The man, 53-year-old Clinton Monroe Ellis-Gilmore, was arrested by police at a beachside park after they received a report of a male “exposing himself in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle,” the Humboldt County Sheriff’s department said.
“According to numerous witnesses, Ellis-Gilmore had been at that location for approximately one hour, sitting in his truck with the door open, masturbating,” according to a sheriff’s report on the incident, which took place on August 12 at around 6:41 p.m. “The conduct does not appear to have been directed at anyone in particular.”
The arrest took place at Table Bluff County Park in Loleta, California, with over an hour of daylight still left. Google lists the park as “good for kids” and home to “kid-friendly hikes.”
A mugshot obtained by The Daily Wire from Ellis-Gilmore’s booking indicates that he was at least shirtless at the time of the arrest. The Eureka Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence did not respond to a request for comment on Ellis-Gilmore.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence made headlines earlier this year after the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to honor the group at a “Pride” event. The group makes fun of Christianity and its members are men in traditional nun clothing that frequently use sexually suggestive names. It won the support, however, of many in the media, which defended the group from critics who said it was a perverted hate group and celebrated it for its “dedication to community service.”
Ellis-Gilmore’s initial arrest was only reported by a local Humboldt County website, The Lost Coast Populist, which located many of his old social media posts and first linked Ellis-Gilmore to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Randy Fleek, a witness who spoke with the arresting deputies, told The Daily Wire that Ellis-Gilmore made no attempt to hide what was going on. He said that Ellis-Gilmore parked two spots away from his trailer and had his left leg out the open door of the truck and right leg up on the dashboard with no pants on, which gave him full side view of Ellis-Gilmore “playing with himself.”
“Well this is f***ed up,” Fleek said of what he saw. “It’s obvious. You cannot help but see this guy, he’s not hiding it. He wants everyone to see what he’s doing.”
He added that cars came and went throughout the hour, including some with young women. He also said that Ellis-Gilmore had his shirt on at the beginning but was naked by the end. He said he was happy when the sheriff deputies arrived, took him out of the truck, and got him dressed.
“There’s something wrong with that man. He’s got a weird f***ing desire to show off to the public, to anybody that wants to look at him,” Fleek said. “He puts himself in a position and in a spot that you can’t help but look at the son of a b***.”
He described the location as “popular” and one where a lot of vehicles come through to look at the ocean which he said made what he witnessed more disturbing. “People pull in to see the ocean, they don’t pull in to see this. But you can’t help but see,” he said of Ellis-Gilmore’s alleged actions.
Ellis-Gilmore, the alleged public masturbater, has been active in the local Eureka, California, chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for years. Ellis-Gilmore appears to go by several names in the group, including “Novice Sister Bethe Cockhim,” and “Novice Sister Man Romeo,” according to social media posts.
Pictures on social media place him at numerous events with his husband, Bill Gilmore, who goes by “Saint Gives More” — “Sainthood” in the group is bestowed on only the most dedicated community members.
Among the Eureka Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence events that Ellis-Gilmore participated in was a book reading at an elementary school where a man wearing a mock-nun outfit and Ellis-Gilmore, wearing fake blond braids, a dress, and fishnet tights, read to children.
Facebook Screen shot.
“Yesterday sisters had the most magical time reading story books to the Peninsula elementary school kids in recognition of them Studying LGBT awareness month! Thanks for the honor!” a post from October 31, 2018 said.
The post tagged the Facebook account for “Novice Sister Bethe Cockhim,” an account that appears to be run by Ellis-Gilmore.
Prior to the event at the school, Ellis-Gilmore and his group had a history of sexually charged posts on social media. One post from the Sisters exhibited two members holding a plastic penis while posts from Ellis-Gilmore showed off his nipple piercing and a cartoon “gay” Smurf illustration that featured erections and pubic hair.
The event took place at Peninsula Union, a public elementary school in Humboldt County nearby where Ellis-Gilmore was arrested. The school did not respond to a request for comment on the Sisters, and whether it has hosted the group since.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
Ellis-Gilmore’s social media is filled with Satanic and sexual themed posts, including one meme about oral sex featuring a pacifier, a lollipop, an ice cream bar, and a penis with the caption “Shhhhhhhh….it’s ok, you’ve been preparing for this your whole life.”
Another post features a faux certificate from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence that says “pleasure should be your god, lust your temple, and sex your sacrament” while another said “Be gay, hail Satan.”
Facebook screenshot.
Ellis-Gilmore was charged with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor on first offense, which according to California penal code can result in six months of prison time, a $1,000 fine, and a requirement to register as a sex offender.