COLUMBUS, Ohio — Charges have been dismissed against porn actress Stormy Daniels following her arrest at an Ohio strip club where she was performing, her lawyer says. The lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said Thursday Daniels was set up in a sting operation. While Daniels was performing Wednesday night at Sirens, a strip club in Columbus, some patrons touched her in a “non-sexual” way, Avenatti told The Associated Press. Daniels had been charged with letting patrons touch her in violation of a state law.
He told MSNBC later Thursday that police had prepared a sting operation with multiple officers. He said female undercover officers asked Daniels if they could place their face between her breasts.
Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
“It was an absurd use of law enforcement resources,” Avenatti said.
Avenatti tweeted the motion to dismiss the charges, which was filed in Franklin County Municipal Court by Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. The motion says the state doesn’t have probable cause to pursue any of the three misdemeanor charges against Daniels.
Columbus police didn’t return a call from CBS News. Messages left for the city attorney’s spokeswoman for a response to Avenatti’s allegations weren’t immediately returned.
City attorney spokeswoman Meredith Tucker said in a statement earlier Thursday that they were aware of the charges against Daniels. She says they were “in conversations with the defense counsel” and working to gather “all necessary information,” but can’t comment further because of the pending litigation.
Police said two other women were arrested along with Daniels.
Charging documents say Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was arrested for touching a patron at a “sexually oriented” business in violation of the law commonly known as the Community Defense Act.
The charges related to the law prohibiting dancers from touching customers and customers touching dancers – excluding immediate family members. The motion to dismiss argues the law only applies to nude or semi-nude dancers who “regularly” perform at the venues.
Daniels only performed there on July 11, according to the document.
Avenatti tweeted Thursday morning that the motion had been granted and thanked the prosecutor’s office for their “professionalism starting with our first call early this am.”
Columbus police said Thursday that Daniels’ arrest was part of a long-term investigation of illegal activity at city adult clubs. Police say they learned of the alleged activity last fall and launched the investigation into allegations of human trafficking, prostitution, and other “vice-related” violations. They say they’ve made numerous arrests under the law regarding illegal sexually oriented activity in a sexually oriented business, but did not immediately provide a number.
They did not specify how many allegations they were investigating, or when or where they were reported.
According to charging documents, Daniels, who was semi-nude, allegedly touched some of the patrons’ breasts and allowed them to touch her. She allegedly performed the same act with several officers who approached the stage and forced one officer’s head into her bare chest. A police release said she “illegally touched” three undercover officers.
She was released on bail before 6 a.m. Thursday. Daniels posted $6,000.
Avenatti previously said that a not guilty plea to all counts would be entered on his client’s behalf Thursday. Avenatti posted on Twitter a statement by Daniels that said she apologized to her fans in Columbus, but she would not perform her previously scheduled Thursday night show.
A person who answered the phone at the strip club declined to comment.
Daniels has said she had sex with President Donald Trump in 2006, when he was married, which Trump has denied. She’s suing Trump and his former longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and seeking to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement she signed days before the 2016 presidential election.
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