Here’s why Stormy Daniels was arrested at a strip club in Ohio.
Stormy Daniels ‘ lawyer and closest confidant Michael Avenatti revealed on Twitter last night that his client was bizarrely arrested while performing her set at a strip club in Ohio. What in the world would she have done that could be construed as illegal?? Well, it’s complicated — and stranger than fiction. Four police officers in the audience at Sirens strip club in Columbus, Ohio nabbed her for allegedly violating Ohio’s Community Defense Act. In layman’s terms, Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) allegedly broke the law by touching customers during her routine. In Stormy’s mug shot, which you can see below, the gorgeous stripper/porn star looks calm and poised. But you can see in her eyes that she’s upset about what just happened — obviously.
The Ohio law prohibits patrons to touch a nude or semi-nude dancer, or their clothes, in a strip club. That includes in the club or even in the club’s parking lot. Avenatti said on Twitter that the customer was touching Daniels in a “non-sexual manner,” but the police report tells a different story. The affidavit filed after her arrest states that Daniels touched at least three of the officers, both men and women, during her performance around 11:30pm with her uncovered breasts.
First, Daniels took her top off, and “nearly all of the club’s customers” approached the stage to throw dollar bills at her. She then “forced” the heads of several customers into her chest and “smacked the sides of their heads with her breasts.” She also reportedly touched several female customers’ breasts. Upon watching this happen, three officers went up to the stage and she reportedly forced their faces into her chest and allegedly touched the breasts and buttocks of a female officer. It is unclear if the officers were in uniform during the performance.
Daniels was “arrested without incident,” according to the affidavit. She was charged with three misdemeanor counts of sexually-oriented-business employee touching a patron; Avenatti said that she will plead not guilty to all three charges. Her arraignment is scheduled for 9:30am on Friday, July 13. Avenatti stated on Twitter that he believes the arrest was “a setup & politically motivated.” He added the hashtag “#basta” to his tweets — Spanish for “enough”.
He appeared on MSNBC the next morning, July 12, and claimed that the entire arrest was a “sting operation.” He alleged that the officers asked Daniels if they could place their heads in her breasts, and she obliged — implying that they were undercover.
