Campus evangelist Matt Bourgault was preaching to University of New Mexico students on their Albuquerque campus Wednesday. UNM sophomore Meisha Dwight did not appreciate his message, however, and therefore decided to push him off the concrete ledge serving as his makeshift pulpit.

UNM police arrested Dwight on the scene, charging her with battery. Her case has now been referred to the district attorney's office. UNMPD Lieutenant Patrick Davis said Bourgault suffered no serious injuries.

"The preacher was able to continue with what he was doing," Davis said.

Despite Wednesday's incident and the inflammatory nature of Bourgault's sermon, both Davis and UNM public affairs representative Karen Wentworth said the university would continue to provide him access to the campus.

"He had a permit for that day [and] we allow anybody who applies for a permit to be here," Wentworth said. "Anybody that does anything on campus, like set up a table or set up a band or whatever, has to have some kind of clearance."

Davis said his police department is not concerned with the possibility of a larger-scale incident after Wednesday because police will continue to monitor potentially contentious speakers, noting Dwight was arrested on the scene by police officers in attendance.

"We're always conscious of things that happen on campus," Davis said. "There's no reason for him not to be here. He hasn't broken any laws."

Dwight, however, told the Daily Lobo, a UNM student newspaper, the university should not allow Bourgault to impose his religious views on students or to "get in people's faces" and tell them they are going to hell.

"I was standing, listening to this preacher guy, and he was spitting on females and saying the only thing they were good for was procreation," Dwight said to the Daily Lobo. "[So] I went behind him and pushed him off the ledge."

Davis, however, said Dwight did not inform the police department about the alleged spitting incident.

"She has not reported that to us at any time," Davis said. "If she decides to report that to us, we'll investigate."

Wentworth and Davis agreed Bourgault has not been a problem for the university in the past, though neither could say for sure whether he had even appeared on campus before.

Last month, a preacher with similar messages made a number of appearances at the end of State Street adjacent to the University of Wisconsin campus, next to the Humanities building.

City of Madison police officers were present to monitor the situation, but MPD Lieutenant Anthony Bitterman said he is not aware of any altercations which may have occurred.

"People have a right to be heard, and if they've made the arrangements for the proper permits, then we try to guarantee their right to speak," Bitterman said. "I can't really imagine a circumstance where somebody could lawfully approach somebody and knock them off their pulpit and take them down."