Palm Springs Police Win Sex Sting Case

A judge refused to dismiss charges Wednesday in the case of men arrested in a Palm Springs sex sting.

According to KPSP-TV, "Attorneys for the men claimed Palm Springs police unfairly targeted gay men and used discriminatory language during the June 2009 operation, but Superior Court Judge David B. Downing ultimately disagreed and denied their motion to dismiss the misdemeanor charges."

Downing said, "These 19 men were not being arrested for being gay, they were arrested for having sex in a public place."

During the trial, lawyers for the men contended that police unfairly targeted them, claiming a lack of complaints from residents in the Warm Sands neighborhood. Former police chief David Dominguez stepped down last month over revelations that he made antigay slurs during the sex sting operation.