COLUMBUS – The chief of the Columbus Division of Police says officers who arrested adult-film star Stormy Daniels at a Northeast Side strip club early Thursday “made a mistake” and their actions will be reviewed.
OK, but not good enough for Daniels’ attorney.
We appreciate Chief Kim Jacobs’s statement relating to the improper arrest. However, we demand a full and OPEN investigation into the conduct of the officers, including an examination of their social media accounts (some of which were mysteriously taken down earlier today)…
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) July 12, 2018
Michael Avenatti has called for an investigation, saying some of the officers had what appeared to be “very Pro-Trump” social media pages. Avenatti tweeted screenshots from what he claimed was the Facebook page of one officer with a pseudonym and asked people to help confirm it.
We are told that these images are from the alias Facebook account of Columbus Det. Steve Rosser (before he deleted it), who was at the center of the arrest of my client. Anyone with information confirming this, pls contact me. #Basta pic.twitter.com/mqhrnxtO7B
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) July 12, 2018
Chief Kim Jacobs says the officers’ motivations will be reviewed internally. Without providing details, she said allegations about their motivations circulating on social media were “not supported by the known facts.”
In a statement issued by the division Thursday afternoon, Jacobs said a mistake was made because one legal element needed for the arrest was missed:
The facts behind the charges and the behavior witnessed by the Vice officers are a matter of public record, and officers were well within their area of responsibility when taking enforcement action. Nevertheless, a mistake was made, and I accept full responsibility. While the presence of Vice officers at this establishment is reasonable, the motivations behind the officers’ actions will be reviewed internally to ensure that our Core Values and duty to serve our community to the best of our ability continue to be the basis for our actions. –Chief Kim Jacobs
Prosecutors dropped charges against Daniels later on Thursday. Ohio’s so-called Community Defense Act couldn’t be enforced because Daniels has only appeared once at the Columbus club and the law states it’s for regular performers, according to a statement from City Attorney Zach Klein.
Meanwhile, Daniels was back onstage at a different club, Vanity Gentlemen’s Club on Bethel Road. She performed there for about 20 minutes early Friday as a host announced: “No phones, no photography, no touching!”
About 100 patrons were in the club and threw dollar bills on her as she performed, partly covering the stage.
Police said Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, smacked the faces of two female officers and one male officer with her bare breasts during the Wednesday night show. Officers knocked on the door of her tour bus after the performance and took her into custody in an arrest that Avenatti said left her “traumatized and rattled.”
Police said two other dancers were arrested along with Daniels. Prosecutors will decide whether to pursue charges against those women.
Police said Daniels’ arrest was part of a long-term human trafficking investigation of adult clubs. They said they have made numerous arrests under the no-touching law but did not immediately provide a number.
The police department “engages in these operations routinely,” spokesman Sgt. Dean Worthington said.
Franklin County Municipal Court records show 23 similar cases this year, including the charges against Daniels, 14 last year and six the year before.
Daniels has said she had sex with Trump in 2006, when he was married. Trump has denied it. Before the election, she was paid $130,000 to stay silent in a deal handled by Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen. She is suing to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement.