Police and prosecutors will meet today to go over evidence collected during raids at two Newport strip clubs Tuesday night. Twelve people were arrested and more suspects are expected to be brought up on charges.
The Brass Mule and The Brass Bull sit across from one another on Monmouth Street near Sixth Street. Newport Police, wearing masks and bullet proof vests, raided both businesses late Tuesday night. Dancers, bartenders, and patrons were ordered to lay on the ground as police conducted the raid.
A dozen people were arrested on charges ranging from prostitution, to nude dancing, to drugs and identity theft. Police say the investigation centers around prostitution and the possible sale of marijuana and cocaine at the clubs.
The suspects include: Teresa Abrams of Independence facing two counts of prostitution, Kelly Johnson of Newport facing two counts of prostitution, 25 year old Katasha Jervis of Latonia facing two counts of prosecution, Jessica Sicker of Cincinnati for no bar identification, Jennifer Carota of Cincinnati for prostitution, Melissa Hearst of Florence for prostitution, Eboni Moore-Collins of Cincinnati for nude dancing, Sonya Gaunt of Ludlow for nude dancing, Jamie Fenton of Covington for public nudity, Kristina Blades of Covington for possession of drug paraphernalia, Bobbie Wayman of Newport for possession of a controlled substance and four counts of promoting prostitution, and Jenny Regg of Bellevue for possession of a controlled substance.
Blades, Wayman and Jervis were the only three suspects booked overnight in the jail. The rest of the women were merely cited by not processed at the jail.
James Daley is the Campbell County Attorney. He says he expects to make more arrests after going through the clubs records. "I guess this goes back to the old days. When I was a trooper, we raided a lot of these places. These two were in existence at this time and if memory serves me correctly, we raided these two before. We're looking to take these people as far as we can as far as prosecution and forfeitures to affect Newport's environment."
Mug Shots!!
Hopefully more will be available soon. First dancer (redhead?) probably looks ok with make-up and under the SC lights, last two look kinda rough.
What's up with the cops going in with "masks and bulletproof vests?" Were they expecting the strippers to shoot it out with them? Maybe the masks were so the dancers wouldn't recognize the cops as some of their regulars?