A doctor specializing in infectious diseases at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center claimed he was just gathering information when being arrested and accused of soliciting prostitution from an officer working undercover.

Dr. Peter Rice, 65, who is also a professor at this university pretends he was just “gathering information” for research on sexually transmitted diseases by the time he was arrested, he said during a short interview yesterday. “I am not guilty,” he said.

According to the police reports, Rice pulled his car near the undercover officer on Saturday and offered to pay her $40 in exchange for sex.

"Probable cause was established for the arrest as soon as the offer to engage in sex for a fee occurred," said police Capt. Paul Saucier, commander of the vice and gang units.

Rice seems to have more than 145 professional publications on the subjects of infectious diseases and sexually transmitted diseases according to data from the state Board of Registration in Medicine.

"I don't think that his arrest had any connection to his work with the university," UMass. Representative Mark Shelton said.

Rice’s last project was a gonorrhea study started in 2004 and approved by the university. The study involving human subjects received more than $2.1 million in funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Extramural Activities, according to Research Crossroads, a website specialized in tracking publicly funded research.

 “I don’t have any information or reason to think that Dr. Rice was working on either of these research projects,” Shelton added.

Rice’s attorney, Michael K. Fee sustains his client is not guilty. The phone to comment upon the accusations reached neither Rice, nor Fee.

Dr. Rice was expected to be arraigned on sex for a fee charges on Wednesday.