Swaggart Stopped by Indio Police, Charged With 3 Traffic Violations

INDIO —  Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart was stopped by police Friday, cited for a trio of traffic violations and ordered to appear in court, authorities said.

Swaggart, 56, driving a 1989 Jaguar, was stopped by an officer at 9 a.m. Friday in downtown Indio, Police Chief Jerry Graves said.

Swaggart was cited for failing to drive on the right side of the road, for having an unregistered vehicle, and for not wearing a seat belt, Graves said. Swaggart is scheduled to appear on the citations Nov. 15 in Indio Municipal Court, he said.

The evangelist was accompanied by a local woman, Graves said. He declined to identify her.

Swaggart is in California for a series of services, said his attorney, William Treeby. The evangelist was in San Diego last weekend and is scheduled for a San Jose appearance next week. Treeby said Swaggart was traveling with his wife, Frances.

Indio is 120 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

In 1988, Swaggart resigned from the Assemblies of God, the nation’s largest Pentecostal denomination. He refused to bow to church discipline after a fellow preacher released photos of Swaggart with a New Orleans prostitute.

Swaggart admitted to an unspecified sin against his family.