Stormy Daniels arrest sparks internal police review: ‘A mistake was made,’ chief says after all charges are dropped
The arrest of porn star and Donald Trump accuser Stormy Daniels at an Ohio strip club early Thursday will be reviewed internally, Columbus police chief Kim Jacobs said Thursday.
In a statement published to the police department’s Twitter account, Jacobs allowed that “a mistake was made, and I accept full responsibility.”
“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,” Jacobs said. “Nevertheless, a mistake was made, and I accept full responsibility.”
Statement from Chief Kim Jacobs in reference to this morning's media release:
Vice personnel are responsible for enforcing laws regulating alcohol sales,
after-hours clubs, massage parlors, human trafficking, nuisance properties
among other serious violations of law... pic.twitter.com/7fJFMuQATk— Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) July 12, 2018
Also Read: Stormy Daniels Charges Dropped After Arrest in Ohio Strip Club
“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,” Jacobs added.
Daniels — real name: Stephanie Clifford — and two others were arrested early Thursday at Club Sirens, where Daniels had booked a two-night engagement. Daniels was charged with three counts of illegal sexually oriented activity in a sexually oriented business, for allegedly “illegally touching three different undercover Vice detectives,” according to a press release issued by the department Thursdays.
The charges were subsequently dismissed, and Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, called the arrest “a setup” and “politically motivated.”
Also Read:Stormy Daniels' Ex-Lawyer Fires Back at 'Puppet' Accusation With His Own Legal Action
“It reeks of desperation,” Avenatti added in a tweet Thursday.
Avenatti later tweeted that prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges in part because a strict reading of state law indicated that it applied to employees of an establishment and not to guest performers like his client.
Daniels, who has filed a lawsuit against Trump, maintains that she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago, and was paid $130,000 in hush money prior to the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Daniels, who intends to perform at the club again Thursday night, tweeted Thursday that she will donate tips she receives tonight to the legal fees of the two other dancers who were arrested.
“Saddened to hear the other 2 dancers arrested with me last night did not have their charges dropped,” Daniels wrote. “All tips from my stage “performance tonight at Sirens in Columbus will go towards their legal fees.”
