CLAYTON, NC — Clemente Olvera Guerrero, a 47-year-old priest at Saint Ann Catholic Church in Clayton, was arrested Monday by Johnston County deputies on felony charges of soliciting prostitution.
Authorities say Olvera Guerrero was taken into custody on church property in the early hours of the morning. According to the sheriff’s office, he had arranged to meet 20-year-old Ja’Quavis Brinson through an app and allegedly engaged in intercourse with him on the church grounds.
Deputies discovered Brinson and a suspicious vehicle outside the church shortly before 1 a.m. Brinson, of Benson, has been charged with misdemeanor prostitution and is being held on a $10,000 secured bond. Olvera Guerrero’s bond was set at $2,500 and posted by a man named Peter Grace, who previously served as pastor of the same church.
In response to the arrest, the Diocese of Raleigh issued a statement to parishioners confirming the immediate removal of Fr. Olvera Guerrero from ministry. “While Fr. Clemente deserves a full presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, his priestly duties in the Diocese of Raleigh have been revoked,” the statement read. “He will be returned to his religious order while this matter is further investigated by legal and canonical authorities.”
Records show that Fr. Guerrero appeared in court on Monday afternoon.
This incident has sent shockwaves through the local Catholic community. The Diocese emphasized that the alleged behavior involved an adult, and no accusations of misconduct with minors have been reported.
The investigation remains ongoing.
