When police released the names of 21 clients of Alexis Wright, the now-infamous Zumba instructor who has been charged with running a one-woman brothel out of her studio in Kennebunk, Maine, on Monday, one name quickly attracted the attention of Portland residents.
According to the Portland Press Herald, former South Portland Mayor James Soule ’77 is one of 21 men who have been charged with paying Ms. Wright for sex. Soule, along with the other people on the list, is charged with the misdemeanor of engaging a prostitute and has a December 5 court date at Biddford District Court.
Soule was a star player on the College’s football team during his time at the College and has served as South Portland’s mayor, most recently in 2008. The Press Herald reported that the list of Ms. Wright’s clients is said to include over 150 names, most of which have not yet been released. Soule’s attorney Peter DeTroy told the Press Herald that Soule “obviously feels terribly about this…The biggest impact of this is on his family and his friends. That’s truly the most dreadful situation.”
The Soule family has a long legacy at Bowdoin; Jim, his four brothers, and their father William Soule ’36 were inducted to the College’s Athletic Hall of Honor in 2004. A page dedicated to the Soule family on the Bowdoin Athletics site states, “No single family has had a greater impact on Bowdoin’s athletic program than the Soule family. Father William ’36 and his sons Paul ’66, Mort ’68, Jim ’77 and Phil have produced a lasting legacy—particularly in the Bowdoin football program.”
“James has embarrassed and shamed the Soule name,” Mort Soule told the Daily Mail.
Jim Soule broke his brother Paul’s records on the football team his junior year, rushing 780 yards in a single season. As a senior he became the first Polar Bear to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for a single season with 1,140 yards—a record that has yet to be broken today. He set a career rushing yards of 2,634, which are 300 more than the second-place record-setter.
“Jim Soule carried the ball more times, rushed for more yards, and scored more touchdowns than any other Bowdoin player before him,” the page notes. Phil Soule, the only Soule brother who didn’t attend Bowdoin, coached football at the College for 39 years. This Sunday, the seventh annual Phil Soule 5K race will take place on the cross-country race loop. Jim Soule could not be reached for comment, according to the Press Herald.
Correction, October 31: Ms. Wright was incorrectly called Ms. White in the original story. MediaBugs report here.