AUGUST 5--A 90-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested for soliciting a prostitute after he called police to report that the woman stole a piece of jewelry after he paid her $100 to perform a sex act.

When cops told Nicholas Salerno that he would face a criminal charge for admitting to hiring a hooker, the nonagenarian replied, “I don’t give a fuck. I’m 90 years old for Christ’s sake.”

As detailed in a marvelous Dennis Police Department report, Salerno dialed cops in late-June to report that he had paid Karen Proia, 48, for a sexual encounter in his home. Salerno said that he got Proia’s first name and phone number from a friend who reported that he “paid a girl one hundred dollars for a blowjob.” Salerno added that his unnamed pal assured him that the woman “would do it for him too.”

Salerno said that he paid Proia $100 for oral sex. Upon her departure from his home, Salerno said that he discovered a gold chain missing from atop a bedroom dresser. Salerno said he waited a week to report the theft because he “wanted to give Karen a chance to bring the necklace back,” police noted.

When asked if he knew the woman’s last name, Salerno told police, “All I know is her phone number and that she lives in an apartment across from the Christmas Tree Shop” in West Dennis on Cape Cod.

Salerno’s chain, police noted, was later recovered from a local firm that buys and sells gold and coins. A worker told cops that Proia had recently pawned the item.

Salerno and Proia--who was charged with prostitution and larceny--were arraigned Tuesday on the misdemeanor counts. Both defendants entered not guilty pleas.

According to a District Court clerk, the charge against Salerno has subsequently been dismissed and his case is now listed as closed. Proia is next scheduled for a September 1 court appearance. (2 pages)