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Close friend of Obama arrested in prostitution sting

A close friend of President Barack Obama has been arrested on a prostitution charge in Hawaii, local media reported.
Image: Robert \"Bobby\" Titcomb
Robert "Bobby" Titcomb Honolulu Police Department via AP
/ Source: NBC News and msnbc.com

A close friend of President Barack Obama has been arrested on a prostitution charge in Hawaii, local media reported.

The Honolulu Police Department said that Robert Richard Titcomb, 49, a Punahou School classmate of Obama, was arrested Monday night in downtown Honolulu after he solicited sex from an undercover officer, KITV of Honolulu reported on its website.

He was released after posting $500 bail.

Police arrested four men in connection with a reverse prostitution sting involving a fake online escort website, sources told KITV. Titcomb, known as Bobby, and the president have been close friends since high school, Hawaii News Now reported. The two are frequently seen golfing and dining together when the Obama family visits Hawaii.

The first family attended a barbecue at Titcomb's Waialua home on Oahu's North Shore in December, KITV reported.

This article contains reporting from NBC News and msnbc.com staff.