Court docs: Stormy Daniels 'touched' patrons, undercover officers at Ohio strip club before arrest
07/12/2018 7:14 am PDT
UPDATE 1 p.m. ET:
All charges have been dismissed against adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who was arrested at an Ohio strip club and accused of letting patrons touch her in violation of a state law.
Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, tweeted the announcement Thursday afternoon.
I am pleased to report that the charges against my client @stormydaniels have been dismissed in their entirety (below motion was just granted). I want to thank Joe Gibson & his colleagues at the prosecutors ofc for their professionalism starting with our first call early this am. pic.twitter.com/xHPSWsyqM2
@MichaelAvenatti
COLUMBUS -- (WJW) -- New court documents reveal what led to the arrest of porn actress Stormy Daniels in Columbus early this morning.
Daniels was arrested at Sirens strip club and is accused of letting patrons touch her in violation of a state law, her attorney said early Thursday.
According to court documents, Daniels took the stage at the club around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. After taking off her top, Daniels "began forcing the faces of the patrons into her chest and using her bare breasts to smack the patrons."
Undercover Columbus police officers also said they observed Daniels fondling the breasts of female patrons.
When two detectives and an officer approached the stage, the documents said, Daniels made her way to one of them and began performing in front of her. Daniels "leaned over, grabbed Det. Keckley's head and began smacking her face with her bare breasts and holding her face between her breasts against her chest," the documents said.
Police said Daniels made her way over to another detective and performed the same acts on him.
A third officer, according to the documents, had her buttock and breasts fondled by Daniels before she "began smacking [the officer's] face with her bare breasts."
Another detective who was standing back by the bar said he witnessed the "criminal activity." As soon as Daniels moved away from the officers, he exited the club and requested the assistance of patrol to arrest Daniels and two others.
According to WSYX/WTTE in Columbus, the two others who were arrested were also dancers.
An Ohio law known as the Community Defense Act prohibits anyone who isn't a family member to touch a nude or semi-nude dancer.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of "illegal sexually oriented activity." She was released from jail around 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning, WSYX/WTTE reported.
Avenatti tweeted just before 7 a.m. Thursday that Daniels would "issue a plea of 'Not Guilty'" to the charges. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning.
"This was a complete set up," Michael Avenatti, Daniels' attorney, tweeted. "It's absurd that law enforcement resources are being spent to conduct a sting operation related to customers touching performers in a strip club in a non-sexual manner."
FULL STORY: Court docs: Stormy Daniels 'touched' patrons, undercover officers at Ohio strip club before arrest - WJW