Police Investigating Woman for Violating Adultery Law
EmailThe story sounds like the beginning of a country music narrative. He called the cops on his cheatin’ wife.
In Arizona, adultery remains a class three misdemeanor, which carries the possibility of a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail.
Glendale, Ariz., police told ABCNews.com they are investigating Dave Banks’ claims that his wife of 17 years, Traci Banks, has cheated on him at least seven or eight times in the past 10 years.
“It’s certainly much less of a reported criminal violation than a family crime or a sex crime,” said Bret Coombs, a spokesman for the Glendale Police Department.
Banks reportedly had no qualms about turning in his wife, with whom he has two sons.
“If they used it all the time, maybe women or men would think twice about going and jumping in the sack and throwing away their marriage,” he told CBS affiliate KPHO.
Traci Banks told the television station everyone thinks her husband’s pursuit to have her prosecuted is “funny.”
Coombs said the investigation will be finished next week. At that point, the report will be forwarded to prosecutors who can decide whether or not to pursue charges.
Although archaic, nearly half of the 50 states have some law on the books criminalizing adultery. In Maryland, guilty parties must pay a $10 fine, while in Michigan, adultery is classified as a felony.
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Two words, Dave: Why stay?
Posted by: Christine | January 13, 2012, 9:24 am 9:24 am
She sounds like a dirty sleaze, kick her to the curb.
Posted by: jmicceys | January 13, 2012, 9:39 am 9:39 am
It’s a crime in the military too…which can result in reduction in grade, loss of pay, and even a discharge from the service.
Posted by: LT | January 13, 2012, 9:56 am 9:56 am
Maybe his wife will change her tune about it being funny when she spends 30 days in jail.
Christine – he doesn’t want to break up his marraige. Some people actually do believe in “till-death-us-do-part”.
Posted by: wryview | January 13, 2012, 10:10 am 10:10 am
Next the republicans will make mastubation illegal. It goes against God. Im sick and tired of laws that are blatently unconstitutional with government trying to regulate morality. Republicans make me sick. Mind you own damm business and stay out of my sex life.
Posted by: mikd | January 13, 2012, 10:16 am 10:16 am
WRYVIEW why do you assume this was a republican law…Didn’t you read archaic. When this law was drafted it was a much more conservative time in the US. maybe the law was drafted by a Democrat..You should make sure of your facts before you make blanket allegations
Posted by: Astounded | January 13, 2012, 10:24 am 10:24 am
My apologies to WRYVIEW on my previous comment..It should have been directed to MIKD..I am guilty of not verifying something before I posted
Posted by: Astounded | January 13, 2012, 10:26 am 10:26 am
She’s been fooling around for ten years and now he uses this old outdated law? Geez, if you have the proof why not get rid of her through divorce? If you don’t have the proof and you sic the cops on her do you really think she’s going to stick around? This guy sounds like a real looser – no matter what the cops discover.
Posted by: Give Me a Break | January 13, 2012, 10:38 am 10:38 am
mikd ??? What’s up bud? Too much coffee? These are old, old, laws on many States books. Who knows which party made it happen. Given that it is in Texas (Southern Baptist) it was more likely a Democrat. But that’s not important… Traci Banks doesn’t think much of her husband or family since she is willing to go on television and ridicule him. Mr. Banks… you can do better.
Posted by: MyTakeOnThis61 | January 13, 2012, 10:41 am 10:41 am
I’m laughing at how he handled this. He called the cops on that cheating heffa. BUT…………My question is why this fool stay with a woman that has been cheating on him for a decade. This guy must be the biggest sap in town.
Posted by: jstate83 | January 13, 2012, 11:07 am 11:07 am
MIKD — I’m with you on less Government interference, especialy with the morality thing, but you know what, even with these old laws still on the books, this nation’s morals continue to erode. You got anarchists like yourselve Occupying public parks masterbating, having sex and crapping on police cars. You got corrupt Republican and Democrat politicians alike lining their pockets. You got evangelical Christians doing wicked-evil things along side agnostics and atheists. In the meantime we have Marines pissing on dead enemy corpses! Our Marines who are labelled the finest n the world! No wonder why other countries think we’re a bunch of spoiled sorry-ass deviants polluting the world with bad influences. This “feel-good, do-it” mentality needs to be controlled somehow. I don’t have an answer, but do know it is what’s bringing America to the brink of destruction.
Posted by: Gunner_1959 | January 13, 2012, 11:34 am 11:34 am
With STDs a possibility, he certainly has the right to have her arrested as she is jepardizing his health by sleeping around.
Posted by: AnotherView | January 13, 2012, 11:34 am 11:34 am
WryView: “he doesn’t want to break up his marraige. Some people actually do believe in “till-death-us-do-part”….
Refer to the post byJState83
Posted by: Christine | January 13, 2012, 11:51 am 11:51 am
Funny those of you who talk about archaic laws would not blink an eye that she will get half under another arcahic law…alimony
Posted by: SamIam | January 13, 2012, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
Give us a call. We can help!
Posted by: Joey Greco | January 13, 2012, 12:25 pm 12:25 pm
This man needs to be reminded where the divorce court is located.
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | January 13, 2012, 1:10 pm 1:10 pm
Next the republicans will make mastubation illegal. It goes against God. Im sick and tired of laws that are blatently unconstitutional with government trying to regulate morality. Republicans make me sick. Mind you own damm business and stay out of my sex life.
POSTED BY: MIKD | JANUARY 13, 2012, 10:16 AM 10:16 AM_____________Don’t stress yourself to much, nobody is taking away your fun time.
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | January 13, 2012, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm
GUNNER_1959, Name one country where people have not committed adultery or done something bad. Don’t make America a standard bearer of bad behavior. Have a great day buddy.
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | January 13, 2012, 1:32 pm 1:32 pm
This is laughable. I wonder if this made the man feel any better. People cheat all the time, men as well as women. While it may not be morally the best thing to do, it happens. Wow, what a bruised ego!
Posted by: msyellarose | January 13, 2012, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm
People keep in mind that marriage is a legally binding contract whether it be in a church or a government center. Some states consider breech of that contract a crime. I hope she DOES get 30 days in jail and then HE will get everything in the divorce and she wont get a dime. Oh yes and Gunner, the ‘feel-good do-it’ philosophy you are referring to is called Hedonism and thats pretty much all anybody cares about anymore.
Posted by: My2Cents | January 13, 2012, 2:50 pm 2:50 pm
Comparing Republican & Democratic politicians on the issue of corruption or Christians & atheists on the issue of doing evil things and trying to paint them with the same broad brush is like saying the Nazis were just as bad as the Symbianese Liberation Army. One is felony hit & run, the other is a parking ticket.
Moral crimes have no business being prosecuted under civil statutes. Morality & Ethics are two different things that overlap in certain areas. Morality belongs to the realm of religion, Ethics belongs to the realm of civil government. Not the same.
Posted by: Stentor | January 13, 2012, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
men also should be charged since their record is 80% to the womens 75%
Posted by: chandler | January 13, 2012, 3:06 pm 3:06 pm
Just think if people actually persued this all around the country! There wouldnt be enough space to build enough jails to hold everyone that got prosecuted and found guilty of adultery! LOL! Co-workers and bosses would start to dissappear. Police would be knocking on doors everywhere arresting people.
Posted by: Thoughtyouknew | January 13, 2012, 3:26 pm 3:26 pm
This is laughable. I wonder if this made the man feel any better. People cheat all the time, men as well as women. While it may not be morally the best thing to do, it happens. Wow, what a bruised ego!
Posted by: msyellarose
_______________________________________________________
Brused ego. Tell that to all the mad as H women that try to clean their husbands out and have them living under a bridge when they catch them cheating. It is amazing how PC this country is. If the woman had done this, everybody would be screaming “You go girl” and take everything he got. Talk about double standards based on gender. lol
Posted by: jstate83 | January 13, 2012, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
WryView: “he doesn’t want to break up his marraige. Some people actually do believe in “till-death-us-do-part”….
Refer to the post byJState83
Posted by: Christine
____________________________________________________
If I was that guy, she would have been paying me alimony and childsupport after the first time. Her but would have been bouncing down the street 10 years ago never to return. lol
Posted by: jstate83 | January 13, 2012, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Single and available. Looking for a beautiful woman for companionship. There will be no cheating. That’s a promise
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | January 13, 2012, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
Way past time for some of these laws to be taken off the books. I live in Michigan and I can assure you that I have known a lot of people who committed adultery and none who have been convicted of a felony for it. This is not the stuff of government. Talk about government trying to take away your freedom—-to think! There are still laws on the books in many places that make spitting on the sidewalk a crime too. Time this stuff was cleaned up. If Arizona is so foolish as to try to prosecute this woman for adultery, I expect that the ACLU will be helping her take it to the Supreme Court. Ridiculous!
Posted by: karela | January 13, 2012, 5:45 pm 5:45 pm
We ought to have some kind of legal sanctions against adultery. Surely, a reasonable compromise would be that a cheating spouse doesn’t get half of the faithful spouse’s property in the divorce and that cheaters forfeit all rights to alimony and child support (they shouldn’t forfeit custody of the kids however, because the kids should have the right to choose which parent to live with). Divorce should be more difficult to obtain anyway, but that’s off topic here.
A fine is counterproductive as a penalty for adultery. That just hurts the couple financially. If there are going to be criminal penalties for adultery, something like a very short jail term (maybe a day or 2) or community service would make more sense.
It is outrageous to think that there are actually people in this world that will defend a woman’s right to cheat on her husband and run off with half of his property and child support or alimony checks (to my knowledge, nobody defends a man’s right to do that to this wife, but there are people who will make excuses for any behavior by women, no matter how heinous). I wonder why increasing numbers of men refuse to get married at all (as seen by the collapsing marriage rate in this country) when Hollywood produces trashy movies such as “Eat Pray Love” that encourage women to behave badly and our culture seems to always take the woman’s side, even when she is clearly in the wrong.
Adultery is wrong, whether it is committed by men or women. We need to start taking the marital contract more seriously (instead of addressing real threats to the sanctity of marriage, the alleged “defenders” of marriage spend their time trying to stop gays and lesbians from marrying). Although some people seem to think otherwise, banning adultery or adopting reasonable restrictions on divorce is not a violation of your rights. You agreed not to cheat when you entered into a marital contract (just like you agreed to stay married “until death do us part”). It is only fair to hold people to contracts that they voluntarily entered into.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 13, 2012, 7:50 pm 7:50 pm
Beacause certain diseases going around it should be a crime.most people that cheat are basicly idiots,.don’t lower yourself to be with one.
Posted by: phil | January 13, 2012, 8:47 pm 8:47 pm
Ahhh…you see, sometimes you just get sick of people living a lie. My ex cheated on me and his adult chilldren think he is a saint. Many times, once they became full adults, I was tempted to arrange for them to get to know their real father. But the “good” in me won out and I left it to fate. Sadly some day they will have to empty his home on his death and will learn enough then.. But I understand just getting sick of covering for someone’s else bad behaviour and deciding to make it a banner headline. Once in a while you grow a spine and do what’s right for you!
Posted by: Leigh | January 14, 2012, 11:18 am 11:18 am
Here’s a situation where I like Sharia Law.
Posted by: AZ360 | January 14, 2012, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
LMAO, Let’s stone her to death like the Muslims.
nessus
Posted by: Nessus | January 15, 2012, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm
She has left him b 4 she keeps going back y ( 4 kids)
Posted by: steve | January 15, 2012, 5:02 pm 5:02 pm
I agree with the law against adultery, and I am a very liberal person.
Why should people be allowed to mentally abuse their spouse, by cheating on them, and face no consequences, when there are tons of laws against physical abuse in a marriage?
To me, mental abuse of the type caused by adultery can be much worse than physical abuse. Why is mental abuse fine in that case?
The only part of the law I disagree with is prosecuting an unmarried person in the adultery. It’s not their business if the other person is married; it is up to the married individual to act in the best interest’s of their marriage.
Anti-Adultery laws are as sensible as anti-domestic violence laws, because cheating on a spouse IS abuse.
Posted by: Eric | January 21, 2012, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
I find some of the comments funny in blaming republicans or too much gov interference. This is an old law passed way back when the sacramental/contractual/moral/ethical value of a marriage still mattered to Americans. I actually think its a great idea. Marriage is a legal binding contract, a “promise” between two people and a vow before God. There should be consequences for actions violating them.
Posted by: Tabitha | January 22, 2012, 9:25 am 9:25 am