CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A teacher at Charleston Catholic High School and Blessed Sacrament Church was suspended from his duties on Friday, March 17, after facing a prostitution charge.

According to a criminal complaint, 44-year-old Robert Charles Pennington is facing a charge of engaging in prostitution after he gave money to an undercover detective in exchange for sexual relations.

The complaint says this happened in Kanawha County on March 9, and it was the result of an “undercover prostitution operation.”

In a statement from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, they say, “We have learned of civil charges against Robert Pennington. As such, Mr. Pennington has been suspended from his duties at Charleston Catholic High School and Blessed Sacrament Church pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation related to adult behavior by civil authorities. As it is ongoing, neither Charleston Catholic High School nor the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston can make further comment on the investigation.”