SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — The lawyer representing former Mayor and City Councilor James A. Soule said he is uncertain how his client will plead after he was issued a summons for engaging a prostitute in Kennebunk.
Peter A. DeTroy said the public should be aware the summons given to Soule, 58, by Kennebunk police is the lowest on the scale of judicial severity. A Class E crime carries a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
“Jim feels very badly because he knows how hard this may be for friends and family,” DeTroy said.
Kennebunk police Lt. Anthony Bean Burpee said in a news release that Soule and 20 others identified by the department Monday are scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 5.
The 21 men are among about 150 customers issued summonses as part of an investigation into an alleged prostitution operation at a Zumba studio in Kennebunk.
Studio owner Alexis Wright, 29, and Thomaston businessman Thomas Strong Sr., 57, were indicted this month by a York County grand jury on multiple counts of promoting and engaging in prostitution. Wright was also indicted on charges of tax evasion and theft by deception.
The summons lists Soule’s address as Whitworth Drive, but DeTroy said his client now lives in Florida. Soule is the owner of South Portland-based A-Best Window, but DeTroy said he is no longer involved in day-to-day operations of the business.
Soule served three three-year terms on the South Portland City Council and was elected by councilors to serve three one-year terms as mayor. He was first elected in 1988. He last held office in 2009, then decided not to seek re-election to the District 3 seat now held by Councilor Rosemarie De Angelis.
Soule also served as campaign treasurer in Republican Peter Cianchette’s 2002 failed gubernatorial election bid against former Gov. John Baldacci.
DeTroy said the “public spectacle” surrounding the release of the names overshadows the judicial severity of the alleged offense.
“It is basically a speeding ticket,” he said, adding Soule can enter a guilty plea and pay a fine without making a court appearance.
In the meantime, DeTroy said he has advised Soule to see how the investigation and possible court cases proceed.
“At some point it will settle down,” the attorney said. “We will see how things are and deal accordingly.”
Dr. Phil?
lol thought that at first glance!
yeah, I plead guilty for speeding, several times…… but not PROSTITUTION. may be in the same cat, legally, but still, my name, age, and town were printed in the paper……
Agreed. A speeding ticket is a driving violation, it will not show on your criminal history unless you have elevated your charge to a criminal level (speeding 30+, OUI, etc.). What he is being charged with is a Class E Misdemeanor…which is a crime. Obviously his lawyer isn’t too intelligent if he can’t differentiate the difference between a driving violation and a crime.
What exactly does he feel very badly about? Being caught and embarrassed?
Love it !
Maybe he should ask for a refund since he thought privacy was part of the bargain.
Maybe he should sue her for invasion of privacy!!
“Jim feels very badly because he knows how hard this may be for friends and family,” DeTroy saidYa, their embarrassment.. They’ll get over it.
If Mr. DeTroy were my lawyer, I’d feel bad because he says “badly” when he should say “bad”.
Couldnt of said it better myself! He’d still be doing it if they didnt get caught!!
Can anybody say ” Sloppy 150’ths!!!”
Yuck!
I can say it out loud (as long as she’s not listening). :)
Can I watch, or will I embarrass ‘family and friends’, lose my job, and end up on every Boston newscast for days?
It’s only a speeding ticket and all the guys at the Pub will want to hear about it!
Worth it!
What pub? I wanna hear all about it
Big deal all of this is ridiculous. It’s an age old profession that men and women have utilized since time began.
Good Lord…I’m starting to lose faith in humanity.
Starting??? What’s taken you so long???
over something that is legel in vegas?
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Unless it is AIDS, Herpes, or the “clap”, then it is free to go! lol.
Actually, prostitution is not legal in Vegas. It is in Reno though.
Some traffic ticket (LOL).
I’ve never heard of a speeding ticket ending a marriage or costing someone their job.
I was thinking the same exact thing.
His attorney’s words.
who lost their job?
I believe Alexis Wright lost her job or am I mistaken
But I have heard of people speeding and seriously injuring or killing innocent people.
I’m glad he chose a “crime” that can only possibly hurt himself and his family.
“I don’t care what you say about me, as long as you spell my name right.”
George M. Cohan
I thought there were no politicians involved in this list.Hmm who is next? How many will be accidentally dropped from this list.?
Since you didn’t expect to see a politician on the list – but one is there – what makes you think that names will be “dropped”?
With the media driving the Obama water truck for four years.Also the way most Democrats get treated in Maine by the media makes me very suspicious.
Yeah a speeding ticket. That’s how much he thinks of his family.
He may very feel bad now but rest assure was feeling very good at the time!
Yep, because 150+ people getting speeding tickets in Kennebunk while driving to their favorite Zumba class would have made national headlines.
Who cares i don’t
well you must ’cause you’ve replied every time a new version of this story gets reported.
like i said who cares i don’t
I wonder if he would be singing the same song if he tested positive for aids. (oh that doesnt occur in this line of work)
He is 58. Alexis 27.
Trying to deminish the value of the crime., thats what lawyers do best.. NEXT.
I bet that makes his wife feel better…
I heard Ms. Wright has the video to prove he should have gotten a speeding ticket.
heey-o
After reading about this from the beginning and all the hub bub over releasing the names, I’m curious as to how many of the people wanting the names released where shrugging at Prez Clinton getting caught with Monica and how many claiming not to care about this were calling for the truth about the Prez. Personally, I don’t care about either because prostitution and cheating is something that’s always going to happen but I wonder if morality is divided depending on cirumstances and who’s involved?
Ladies how much would you charge to let this man climb on you?
there would not be enough money in the world… just the thought of it would cause a lady to have nightmares!!! yuck
I’d pay him to leave.
That, my friend, is the entire point of prostitution.
His lawyer who is comparing this to a traffic stop supports his actions with mumbo jumbo. Why do men feel they can do whatever they want sexually with disregard to their family and friends? Self serving sexual perverts.
and woman never fool around on their husbands.
“It is basically a speeding ticket,” he said, adding Soule can enter a guilty plea and pay a fine without making a court appearance.
Very interesting comparison. So paying for sex illegally is no worse than a speeding ticket. Wonder what he feels about other crimes and what he might compare them to. People of South Portland I am sure are so proud that they supported this man not once, twice but three times. You are a disgrace sir, and judging by that photo, it is of little surprise why you are paying for it.
I thought the same, picture, no further questions.
I would much rather have this man pay somebody for consensual sex than operate his vehicle recklessly and possibly kill or injure someone.
How fast does somebody have to go to get $1000 fine and 6 months in jail?
30 mph over
Ummm, I’m not a lawyer, but I know that when you get a speeding ticket its a traffic infraction while a Class E crime (note the word CRIME) is a criminal conviction – you know – the kind of thing that you get asked on job applications: “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?”
Big difference in my book – both morally as well as legally.
Oh, and by the way, have you ever heard of lawyers going to court to keep the name of a speeder out of the paper?
I wonder if his wife agrees that it no different than a speeding ticket.
oh honey, i got a speeding ticket. well don’t speed. oh honey, i got a ticket for prostitution too. SAY GOODBYE TO HALF YOUR STUFF!
He did it for the nookie
and the cookie.
creepy looking dude
he looks like a porn star. he probably already is, he just doesn’t know it yet.
(y)
yessa
Wow he came all the way from Florida for Zumba Class. Hope he didn’t forget his spandex/latex work-out suit. oh and I can only imagine hiring this attorney after the way he put the speeding ticket spin on this merry go round. Nice effort to minimize the behavior
Of course he feels bad—feels bad he was found out.
And a lawyer goes to school for how long to come up with BS like this?
The only thing that guy and all of the others are bothered with is the fact they got caught.
This should not even be a crime, one person pays another person,both parties agree on
terms,both walk away happy. No one got hurt, not until an arrest was made.
That is my problem,I do not see a crime here. I would not pay someone for sex,but if the 2
involved have agreed , where is the crime???
Shouldnt be a crime, EXCEPT if you have marrige vows and family..it’s not just your life, when you are paying a stranger for sex…If you single and have $$ and probably are not capable of a real relationship…go for it..It should be legal..but till it is..you are breaking the law and the hearts of people who love you..think with the head on your shoulders
gonna take one hell of an attorney to convince his wife of that one!!!!
What a loser, more of this kind of mentality in our government is just the tip of the iceberg of what is so completely wrong with who and how this country is being run. Too bad people like this have a say in anything to do with anyone else…..I sure wouldn’t want him running part of my community(I’m sure there are those in my community who are just as pathetic as this guy, I just don’t know it)I would say the same thing to anyone who takes this kind of thing as everyday run of the mill life.
Just look at him…………paying for sex tells me all I need to know about this guy and where his morals are……………..all about him no matter what who else it effects
Hillarious, most of the posters would love to see this guy go to jail and pay a hefty fine, but he wont……LMAO… Get a life people..
I can’t use the word that comes to mind describing this guy and others like him! I also hope that the prostitutes are paying heavily for back taxes and are having there property impounded and sold for revenue just like drug dealers. If we make tougher laws for drug dealers and prostitutes so they stand to loose everything, house, car etc. and be find heavily for tax evasion, maybe it will help deter others, a slap on the wrist won’t do it! I have very little faith in our Judicial system and law enforcement officers these days!
prostitution exists because people are willing to pay for it. the mexican drug cartels exist because people are willing to use drugs. already enough “tough” laws on the books. until the end user stops buying, they will both flourish.
A lot of states are going the other way and decriminalizing prostitution. It saves the taxpayers of those states millions.
Plus, sales tax revenue — win, win.
Maybe if his wife gave him some or put out a bit more this would not have happened!!
hahahaha I agree maybe get into a little role playing huh–u be john I be hooker lol.
One would think that a lawyer would have enough language skills to know the difference between “bad” and “badly”.
You don’t “feel badly” unless your hands have nerve damage or something.
Sure Peter, Wonder what Mrs. Soule’s take on that would be?
Yeah…wifey probably feels it’s the same as a speeding ticket as well…Was he John Doe 1 or 2?
I’m not sure his family sees it that way. Technically, maybe, but I wouldn’t leave my spouse for going 5 mph over the speed limit.
Speeding ticket? Really???? Oh, I get it – he was doing 58 in a 29 zone.
The entire case is a waste of taxpayers money. Find something important to do with our tax dollars.
Sargent Slaughter?
Mr. DeTroy shouldn’t be telling anyone, much less a newspaper reporter, about his client’s feelings and how he has advised him (“DeTroy said he has advised Soule to see how the investigation and possible court cases proceed.”).
I thing Peter has a pretty good grasp on what’s ok to say to the papers. He’s been at this a while.
Maybe, maybe not. I just know that I never want to open a newspaper and read statements from my lawyer – regardless of how long he’s been at it – about how I feel and how he has advised me. I want our communications to be confidential; I don’t want him talking to reporters about my case.
Why on earth does Maine continue to criminalize prostitution (other than street walking for which a valid public nusance argument can certainly be made)?
“It is basically a speeding ticket,” This will go down as Maine’s version of “binders full of women.” What a week for analogies.
what this business should have done was set up a kitchen for cooking a meal, having the “restaurant” part of the business seperate, at least on paper. the client buys the hooker dinner, then they go have sex. happens all over the world every day that way. Married or not.
A politician got caught with a prostitute? I am shocked, I always thought politicians were honest and hard working men?
I bet if his daughter was summonsed for prostitution he would think it was “more” than a speeding ticket
More importantly, the judge will probably think it’s more than a speeding ticket, too, and will remember Mr. DeTroy’s foolish comment when he sentences Soule.
At some point Ms. Wright will sell the book,appearance fees, and movie rights to all of this. That little grin ain’t for nothing. This guy is just one in 150. I’m assuming his story could be told be anyone including his lawyer and isn’t worth much.
Wonder if he knew about the dogs?