Pickerington woman arrested with Stormy Daniels still facing charges

Staff, wire reports | Marion Star

Show Caption Hide Caption Raw: Porn actress Stormy Daniels brought into Ohio jail Porn actress Stormy Daniels was arrested at an Ohio strip club and is accused of letting patrons touch her in violation of a state law, her attorney said early Thursday. She was seen being brought into a jail in Columbus on Thursday morning. (July 12)

COLUMBUS - While charges against porn actress Stormy Daniels were dropped Thursday, two other women also arrested at a Columbus strip club remain charged.

Brittany Walters, 20, of Pickerington, and Miranda Panda, 26, of Marion, continue to face illegal sexually oriented activity in a sexually oriented business, a first-degree misdemeanor. Prosecutors are said to be reviewing the charges against them.

Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford and is the adult-film actress who is suing President Donald Trump over a nondisclosure agreement — tweeted later Thursday that she was "saddened" to hear the charges would not be dropped.

The charges came during Daniels' appearance at Sirens Gentlemen's Club, where Walters and Panda apparently work. Daniels was scheduled to perform there Wednesday and Thursday.

All three were charged under a little-used 2007 Ohio law, which prohibits strippers from touching patrons – or vice versa – unless they are a relative. But charges were dismissed against Daniels because she wasn't a regular performer at that establishment – an odd caveat to the law.

"I’ve determined that these crimes were not committed, based on the fact that Ms. Clifford has not made regular appearances at this establishment as required under the law," Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said.

Daniels initially canceled her Thursday night performance in Columbus because of the charges, but reversed field later in the day to say she would appear to raise money for Walters and Panda in their legal fight.

"All tips from my stage performance tonight at Sirens in Columbus will go towards their legal fees. Come support the working women of this city," she tweeted.

Then late Thursday afternoon, it was announced by her defense attorney Michael Avenatti that she wouldn't be performing at the Sirens club but they were looking for another location option in the area.

What happened?

The allegation against Walters claims she was dancing on the stage in the VIP area of Sirens at about 10 p.m. Wednesday when she "leaned over the side of the stage and began rubbing her bare breasts" across the face of an undercover officer and also "fondled" the breasts of the officer. Panda, a server at the club, is accused of rubbing the buttocks of another server while in front of all four undercover officers.

Daniels was arrested after she was accused of squeezing patrons' and undercover police officers' faces between her bare breasts.

Daniels started performing at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to an affidavit filed in Franklin County Municipal Court. Patrons rushed the stage and started throwing dollar bills at her. Daniels, who was topless and wearing a G-string, reportedly forced patrons’ faces into her breasts and smacked patrons with them, according to the police report.

At that point, three undercover officers approached the stage. Daniels is accused of grabbing a female detective’s head and forcing the officer’s face between her breasts. Daniels reportedly did the same with a male detective as well, the report states.

Then, Daniels is accused of fondling the third officer’s buttocks and breasts. Daniels smacked that female officer’s face with her breasts, according to the affidavit.

A fourth officer, who was not touched, called for assistance to arrest Daniels and the two other women.

'Unnecessary' arrest?

Avenatti, called the arrest an unnecessary "sting operation" in a tweet. Avenatti said Daniels allowed a customer to touch her in a non-sexual manner.

Daniels was charged with three misdemeanor counts of an employee of a sexually oriented business touching a patron, according to Franklin County court records.

Avenatti called the arrest a setup and said Daniels has performed the act at nearly a hundred strip clubs across the country.

Still, Columbus police say Daniels' arrest wasn't a first.

“Since last fall, Columbus Police were made aware of illegal activity through various adult entertainment clubs throughout the city. Columbus police have made numerous arrests utilizing this law. The Division engages in these operations routinely with no effect on other calls for service," according to a police statement.

Daniels has said she had sex with President Donald Trump in 2006 when he was married, which Trump has denied. She's suing Trump and his former longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and seeking to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement that she signed days before the 2016 presidential election.

Jessie Balmert, Mike Throne, and the Associated Press contributed to this story.