Nuns walk past a row of Santa Claus costumes displayed outside a shop in the Old City of Jerusalem, December 22, 2010. UPI/Debbie Hill | License Photo

DAYTON, Ohio, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Police said a pair of female Santas arrested at an Ohio mall were part of an "unruly group," but members said they did nothing wrong.

Miami Township Police said several law enforcement agencies responded to a call from Dayton Mall security Saturday to help "deal with an unruly group" and officers arrested Jacqueline S. Sallee, 41, of Dayton and Susan Rudolph, 46, of Washington Township, the Dayton Daily News reported.


The group, which had arrived in two buses, included several intoxicated people dressed in Santa suits, and many people at the mall complained they were handing out adult-like materials and singing songs with mature lyrics, police said.

The Santarchy Dayton members said the Santas had only been handing out candy and singing Christmas songs. They said off-color songs were sung on the bus ride to the mall, but everything they sang at the shopping center was family-appropriate.

Michael Denius of Santarchy Dayton said the arrest of one of the women was particularly "over the top." He said the woman approached an officer to "ask what was going on" and the officer "twisted her arm behind her hard," "slammed her face against a glass wall" and "slammed her to the ground and dug his knee in her back and cuffed her."

Sallee was charged with criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, assault and disorderly conduct, which includes public intoxication. Rudolph was charged with criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, including public intoxication.