COLUMBUS, OH – Charges that porn star Stormy Daniels allowed strip club patrons to touch her during a performance have been dismissed, according to court records. Police early Thursday had arrested Daniels, whose alleged affair with President Trump has made her one of the most vocal and recognizable personalities pursuing claims against the POTUS.
Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, announced Thursday afternoon, that the charges had been dropped.
“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,” tweet Avenatti.
Franklin County, Ohio, court records verified that, indeed, the charges had been dismissed. Court records posted to Twitter by Avenatti show that the city prosecutor’s office asked the charges be dismissed. Franklin County court records show she had been charged with three counts of knowingly touching a patron of a sexually oriented business. Ohio law prohibits customers of strip clubs from touching performers.
The Ohio law, however, states that “no person who regularly appears nude … shall knowingly touch a patron” of a strip club, the court brief states. Prosecutors wrote that police have no evidence that Daniels appears regularly at Sirens, the Columbus strip club where she was arrested.
Daniels’ appearances Wednesday and Thursday were part of a nationwide tour. She announced earlier that the show Thursday would be canceled.
Police had arrested Daniels on three misdemeanors, all of which Avenatti vowed to “vehemently contest,” according to her lawyer. Avenatti said via Twitter that the arrest was “a setup and politically motivated.”
“She was arrested for allegedly allowing a customer to touch her while on stage in a non sexual manner! Are you kidding me? They are devoting law enforcement resources to sting operations for this? There has to be higher priorities!!!” Avenatti tweeted early Thursday.
The arrest, police said in a statement, was part of a “long-term investigation” into reports of human trafficking, prostitution and other illicit activities at Club Sirens, the strip club where Daniels was arrested. Two other women, both from Ohio, were also arrested, police said in the statement.
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An arraignment, which had been scheduled for Friday, has been canceled. Another show, which had been scheduled for Thursday night at Sirens, has been canceled, according to a statement released by Avenatti.
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“I will unfortunately be unable to go forward with tonight’s scheduled performance. I deeply apologize to my fans in Columbus,” Daniels said in the statement.
Daniels, who has performed in scores of adult videos, claims to have had sex with Trump in 2006. She is suing the president and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, and wants to nondisclosure agreement surrounding the affair to be invalidated. Daniels claims that in October of 2016 President Donald Trump paid her $130,000 in hush money about the one-night stand. Trump denies he did.
Photo: Stormy Daniels attends a fan meet and greet at Chi Chi LaRue’s on May 23, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images)