BRAINTREE, Mass. - Police said a Chelmsford priest who was arrested in a prostitution sting at a New Hampshire hotel responded to an ad on Craigslist.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston said Tuesday that William Ventura has voluntarily accepted a leave of absence and that he has been barred from public ministry until the case is concluded through the court system.
Ventura had been serving as parochial vicar of St. John's Parish in Chelmsford.
Nashua, N.H., police said Ventura, 31, was arrested Friday, along with seven others, after getting caught in sting police said aimed to snare people "intent on paying a female for sexual relations."
Ventura was released on bail and faces a misdemeanor prostitution charge, which carries a maximum punishment of a year in prison.
He's scheduled to be arraigned April 22 in Nashua District Court.
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