RALEIGH (NC)
WRAL [Raleigh, NC]
August 4, 2025
Johnston County deputies arrested a priest from Saint Ann Catholic Church in Clayton, Clemente Olvera Guerrero, and charged him with soliciting prostitution.
Johnston County deputies arrested a Catholic priest on Monday, alleging he solicited a prostitute.
Clemente Olvera Guerrero, 47, of Smithfield, is charged with one count of felony soliciting prostitution, an arrest warrant shows.
On Monday, the Diocese of Raleigh sent a notice to its parishioners of Saint Ann Catholic Church in Clayton.
“The diocese received notice this morning of the arrest of Fr. Clemente Olvera Guerrero on criminal charges connected to alleged inappropriate behavior with an adult,” the notice reads. “Upon receiving that information, he was immediately removed from ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh.
“While Fr. Clemente deserves a full presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, his priestly duties in the Diocese of Raleigh have been revoked and he will be returned to his religious order while this matter is further investigated by legal and canonical authorities.”
Deputies said they arrested Olvera Guerrero on church property, and the sheriff’s office said the alleged crime happened on church property.
The arrest warrant states Olvera Guerrero appeared in court on Monday afternoon.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said Olvera Guerrero had a $2,500 secured bond. Arrest records show a man named Peter Grace posted the bond.
A Facebook post from October 2024 shows a Peter Grace was then the pastor at Saint Ann Catholic Church. Public records show Grace lives near the church.
In June 2025, Grace was appointed pastor of Maria Reina de las Americas Parish in Mount Olive and the Mission of Santa Teresa in Beulaville.
Ja’Quavis Brinson, 20, of Benson, faces a misdemeanor charge of prostitution. The sheriff’s office said deputies saw a suspicious vehicle outside the church just before 1 a.m. on Monday and found the 20-year-old on the property.
According to the sheriff’s office, Olvera Guerrero contacted Brinson on an app to meet him at the church and “they had been engaged in intercourse.”
Brinson had a $10,000 secured bond.