Senior Catholic Priest Arrested after Being Caught Red-handed Paying $40 for Oral Sex with "Known Prostitute" in Cemetery

Daily Mail
August 5, 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2385156/Senior-Catholic-priest-arrested-caught-red-handed-paying-40-dollars-oral-sex-known-prostitute-cemetery.html

Monsignor Coyle, 62, was granted $500 bail after pleading not guilty to a count of sexual conduct for a fee

A high-ranking priest with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is facing a prostitution charge after being caught red-handed by police.

The Rev. Arthur Coyle was arrested just after 5 p.m. on Sunday after he offered a ‘known prostitute’ money for sex behind a cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts, said Lowell Police Captain Kelly Richardson.

Police say Monsignor Coyle, 62, was granted $500 bail after pleading not guilty Monday in Lowell District Court to a count of sexual conduct for a fee. He is due to return to court Sept. 16 for a pretrial conference

In a report filed in court, police quoted Coyle as telling them that he had paid a woman working as a prostitute $40 for oral sex. Coyle told police the sex act had not been completed, reported Boston.com.

Police had spotted Coyle driving a black Chevy Equinox and noticed he had a ‘known prostitute’ in the passenger seat, the report said.

After the vehicle parked behind the Polish Cemetery in Lowell, officers waited five minutes, before approaching.

The alleged prostitute is Siriwan Kongkaen, 38, who has been arrested multiple times in the past for prostitution and narcotics-related offenses.

According to the police report, Coyle had been spotted a dozen times in the past circling a neighborhood known for prostitution.

Coyle is the Episcopal Vicar for the Merrimack Region, meaning he oversees several parishes in the area. He lives at the rectory of St. Rita's parish in Lowell.

The Rev. Arthur Coyle was arrested just after 5 p.m. on Sunday after he offered a 'known prostitute' money for sex behind the Polish Cemetery in Lowell

In a statement released Monday afternoon, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston said Coyle had voluntarily taken a leave of absence from his post as episcopal vicar for the Merrimack Region, a post he has held since 2008.

‘While on administrative leave, Msgr. Coyle is prohibited from performing any public ministry,’ the archdiocese said in the statement.

‘These restrictions will remain in place pending the outcome of the case. The steps taken today do not represent a determination of Msgr. Coyle’s guilt or innocence as it pertains to these charges.’

The statement concluded with the sentence, ‘The Archdiocese asks for prayers for all impacted by this matter.’

Coyle was ordained a priest in 1977 and appointed an episcopal vicar, a high-ranking official in the church, in 2008.

Coyle is the Episcopal Vicar for the Merrimack Region and lives at the rectory of St. Rita's parish in Lowell