Non-profit employee arrested

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BOSTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A Boston non-profit group's hiring criteria are under review, a city official said, after a worker was allegedly found with a handgun, a prostitute and drugs.

Marcus Merritt, 33, was fired from his position with Boston Foundation StreetSafe, a non-profit organization employing convicted criminals to steer young people away from gangs and drugs, after he was arrested Saturday in Dorchester, Mass., for carrying a gun without a license, cocaine possession and seeking sex for a fee, the Boston Herald reported Tuesday.

"You certainly don't want someone like that entrusted with kids," City Council President Stephen J. Murphy said. "We've got to look at the process again."

Merritt's attorney, Tamari Kovach, said her client, who was hired three years ago, was merely giving the alleged prostitute a ride home in his truck.

Merritt is the third StreetSafe employee fired since 2010 for arrests, Boston Foundation spokesman Ted McEnroe acknowledged.