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Police: Daniels’ Arrest Part of Long-Term Probe
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
Update 1:10 p.m.
The attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels says prosecutors have dropped all charges against her following her overnight arrest at an Ohio adult club.
Michael Avenatti represents Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. He said Thursday afternoon in a tweet he was pleased prosecutors dropped the charges and thanked them for their professionalism.
A prosecutor’s memo provided by Avenatti says an Ohio illegal touching law can’t be enforced because Daniels has only appeared once at the Columbus club.
The law refers to someone “who regularly appears nude or semi-nude” at a club.
Messages were left with the Columbus city prosecutor’s office seeking comment.
Police in Ohio’s capital city say the arrest of porn star Stormy Daniels was part of a long-term human trafficking investigation.
Columbus police say they learned of illegal activity at city adult clubs last fall.
Police said Thursday they’ve made numerous arrests under a law regarding illegal sexually oriented activity in a sexually oriented business. They didn’t immediately provide the number of arrests.
Michael Avenatti is an attorney representing Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. He says he’s skeptical of the police account, saying the intent of the undercover officers “did not appear to be to look for victims of human trafficking or prostitutes.”
Police say two other women were arrested along with Daniels early Wednesday. They identified them as Miranda Panda of Marion, Ohio, and Brittany Walters of Pickerington in suburban Columbus.