Case against priest arrested in prostitution sting dismissed

Staff Writer
·1 min read
68

Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version.

The case against a Roman Catholic priest for soliciting a prostitute in 2003 ended with the charges not being pursued and his record expunged, court records show.

The Rev. Thomas Vellappallil, was charged with soliciting a prostitute and committing a lewd act for offering to pay an undercover police officer $20 for oral sex, according to a report from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Vellappallil had been removed from the ministry, said Carol Brinati, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Orlando in 2003. "He can't work as a priest in our diocese pending the outcome of the investigation."

Court papers from the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County in 2005 show Vellappallil was never found guilty of the act and the case was dismissed.

Court papers from the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County in 2005 show Vellappallil was never found guilty of the act and the case was dismissed.
Court papers from the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County in 2005 show Vellappallil was never found guilty of the act and the case was dismissed.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Case against priest arrested in prostitution sting dismissed