OREGON
The Register-Guard
By Jack Moran
The Register-Guard
MARCH 2, 2017
Eugene priest Daniel MacKay took the stand in his own defense Wednesday and forcefully denied ever trying to pay for sex with a teenage prostitute.
He answered with a firm “no” or “absolutely not” each time he was directly asked about specific allegations he faces.
MacKay, 42, is charged with four misdemeanor counts of prostitution for a series of meetings he allegedly had last year with a 17-year-old girl who advertised prostitution services online. He told the four-woman, two-man jury in his trial that the allegations are untrue, and that his interactions with the teenager had nothing to do with sex.
“I responded to her as a person who needed charity and guidance,” MacKay said.
He told jurors that he first met the girl last August, when she asked him for money after approaching him outside a convenience store in the Whiteaker neighborhood where MacKay lives and works.
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