Hollis Tharpe, the mayor of Front Royal, Virginia, was indicted and charged with soliciting a prostitute. He said the charge stems from a visit with a masseuse he found on Facebook.
Editor's Note (July 16, 2019, 2:15 p.m.): Charges that Hollis Tharpe solicited a prostitute were dropped in July 2019, a court official told News4. Go here to see an updated story.
Hollis Tharpe, the mayor of Front Royal, Virginia, was indicted Friday and charged with soliciting a prostitute in May 2018, the mayor told News4.
Tharpe said the charges stem from two visits he made to a massage parlor in Front Royal in 2018. He and his attorney are set to appear at Warren County Circuit Court on Monday.
The Warren County Commonwealth's Attorney has not responded to a request for comment.
Tharpe told News4 he learned in 2018 that the woman who gave him the massage was arrested on prostitution charges six days after his final visit.
Tharpe said the situation is "embarassing and the charges are baseless."
He also said the investigators are "only doing this because I got the mayor title."
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Tharpe did not specify who he had hired as an attorney.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
