Prayer continues to be a controversial issue in the city of Southport.

A 70-year-old resident spent Monday night in the Marion County Jail after praying aloud during a moment of silence at the City Council meeting.


Charles Lynch was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after causing a disturbance during the meeting, according to a police report from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.



At the onset of the meeting, Mayor Rob Thoman read a statement of disorderly conduct and stated anyone who talked out of turn would be in violation of the statement.



During the moment of silence, Lynch began reading a prayer out loud; when asked to be quiet, Lynch began to pray louder, according to the report.



Lynch was then asked to leave the meeting. He refused and grabbed a chair, prompting Southport assistant Chief Mark Myers to forcibly pry Lynch's hands from the chair, according to the report.



Lynch continued to resist Myers, according to the report, and refused to to place his hands behind his back. He was eventually removed from the building and handcuffed.



Lynch said he was released from jail at about 7 a.m. Tuesday.



"It didn't make me feel very good," he said about his first visit to a jail. "There are a lot of characters up there, I'll tell you that."



At his first meeting as mayor in January after upsetting longtime incumbent Nannette Tunget, Thoman discontinued a traditional prayer that was recited at the beginning of council meetings.



"When he first came in as mayor," Lynch said, "he said there would be no prayer, but he can give you no concrete evidence why."



Thoman, who does not believe prayer belongs on the agenda of public meetings, inserted a moment of silence in lieu of the prayer, which caused a division among the council.



The group eventually sided with Thoman to observe a moment of silence.



Lynch is threatening a lawsuit for what he called a false arrest.



"I'm not promoting any church or any religion," Lynch said. "All I want is the way it was. Why take away our rights as citizens to have a word of prayer, because we've always had it."



Monday was not the first time Lynch voiced his opposition.



In August, Lynch, who has lived in Southport for more than 35 years, was escorted from the City Council meeting when he disrupted the moment of silence. A handful of residents followed Lynch in protest.



Council President Greg Dant said Lynch cannot continue to interrupt the council meetings.



"You're trying to maintain the decorum of the meeting," Dant said. "You can't have chaos at a meeting; otherwise, you're not going to get anything done.



"I don't necessarily agree with his position," Dant added. "I disagree with his methods."