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Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was taken into
custody in the early morning after being accused of touching
three customers who were undercover vice detectives, police in
the state capital Columbus said.
But the misdemeanor charges were dismissed hours later. Columbus
City Attorney Zach Klein said Daniels committed no crime because
she did not perform regularly at the club, as required under the
law.
Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs said officers at the club
missed that element of the law.
"The facts behind the charges and the behavior witnessed by the
vice officers are a matter of record, and the officers were well
within their area of responsibility when taking enforcement
action," Jacobs said in a statement. "Nevertheless, a mistake
was made and I accept full responsibility."
The department will review the officers' motivation, Jacobs
said, "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."
Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, said earlier on Twitter
that the arrest was "a setup & politically motivated."
He welcomed Jacobs' statement but demanded a full and open
investigation into the officers' conduct including their social
media accounts, some of which he said were taken down on
Thursday.
"Certain of these accounts appear to have been very pro-Trump.
In the event it is discovered that my client was targeted &
arrested because of our opposition to Mr. Trump, the resulting
lawsuit & action will be swift and devastating," he tweeted.
Columbus police said earlier that the arrest of Daniels and two
other dancers at Sirens Gentlemen's Club was part of a long-term
investigation of alleged human trafficking, prostitution and
other crimes at adult entertainment clubs in the city.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by the New York Times,
Daniels was dancing topless at the club when she pressed
patrons' faces into her chest, fondled the breasts of some women
in the audience and performed similar acts on three police
officers who were at the establishment.
Daniels, 39, was released on $6,000 bail on three misdemeanor
charges of illegally operating a sexually oriented business
related to knowingly touching a patron.
Daniels has filed two civil lawsuits against Trump, with whom
she said she had a sexual encounter in 2006, a decade before he
was elected president. One lawsuit seeks to get out of a
non-disclosure agreement she signed the month before the 2016
election in exchange for $130,000 to keep the episode secret,
while the other is for defamation. Trump has denied the affair.
Daniels has said Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen paid
her the $130,000. Cohen has confirmed he made the payment.
Daniels is also suing Cohen. In May, Trump said Daniels was paid
to stop "false and extortionist accusations."
Prosecutors are investigating Cohen for possible crimes related
to his business dealings, a source familiar with the
investigation told Reuters in April. He has not been charged.
Daniels has been on tour since last winter, appearing at strip
clubs across the United States, and was due to perform again at
Sirens on Thursday night. After the charges were dismissed,
Avenatti said Daniels would seek to perform at another club in
Columbus on Thursday night.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in MILWAUKEE and Bernie Woodall in
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.; Additional reporting by Heavey in
WASHINGTON; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Marguerita Choy and
Cynthia Osterman)
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