In the end, the arrest at an Ohio strip club of Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film star who said she had an affair with Donald J. Trump before he became president, was quickly resolved because of one fact: she was not a regular employee of the club.

Ms. Clifford, who performs under the name Stormy Daniels, simply had a two-night gig at the Sirens Gentlemen’s Club in Columbus.

That distinction resulted in the three misdemeanor charges of illegal sexual activity that were brought against Ms. Clifford after her Wednesday night arrest being dropped on Thursday afternoon. The Columbus police later said that they had made a mistake in making the arrest.

But in the less than 24 hours that Ms. Clifford was arrested, charged, bailed out and released, the episode, widely reported in the national media, generated questions.