LEWISTON – In 2003, the Rev. Doug Taylor was arrested while trying to secure a permit to protest a white supremacist rally in Lewiston. In the days following, a stranger came forward and paid the fine levied on Taylor for his actions at City Hall.

The Rev. Taylor never found out who that man was. But he believes in paying it forward.

On Friday, Taylor paid the fine JoAn Karkos faced for taking a book out of the public library and refusing to return it because she deemed it obscene.

“I think it would have been horrible if she had to go out and write a check for $100 after the stand that she took,” said Taylor, who lives and operates a children’s ministry downtown on Bates Street. “I don’t think she should have to bear the financial crunch on her own.”

Karkos hadn’t decided whether she would pay the fine.

Friday afternoon, she was told that Taylor had taken care of it, and she was so moved by the gesture that she choked up while trying to express her thanks.

“I’m just overwhelmed,” Karkos said. “I’m blessed. I’m very blessed. It’s extremely generous because I know they don’t have a lot of money.”

The 64-year-old Karkos checked “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health” out of the library last summer and refused to return it. A judge ordered her to give the book back but she hung onto it.

Last week, the city decided to stop pursuing the matter. Officials did not want Lewiston to become the epicenter of a national debate, and they were content that Karkos would have to pay a fine.

Enter Taylor, who remembers how grateful he was when that mystery stranger came forward to pay his fine five years ago.

“I don’t know who he was. He only said he wanted to pay my fine because he liked my grit,” Taylor said. “Well, I like JoAn Karkos’ grit.”

The respect is mutual. Karkos said Friday that she had declined offers from others who wanted to pay her fine. The fact that Taylor took care of it seems more appropriate – he is the founder of the Jesus Party, after all, and that group is known for its defense of children.

“We really need to marvel in this,” Karkos said. “It’s just beautiful.”