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Cops lie?

SALISBURY (CBS) – The helicopter that landed in the parking lot of a strip club in Salisbury last week did not have a celebrity exotic dancer on board after all.

The helicopter was seen parked outside Kittens Gentlemen's Club on Bridge Road August 21 and that prompted some calls to the police department.

Police told the media the “celebrity” was a dancer who performs under the stage name of ‘Bridget the Midget.'

Salisbury Police Chief Tom Fowler told WBZ-TV that part of the story turned out to be false and was somebody's idea of a joke.



Fowler said the helicopter pilot was simply visiting the club and had permission to land the copter there.

Here is the chief's complete statement:

I have recently been made aware that inaccurate information was released to the media regarding the recent helicopter landing on the property at 99 Bridge Road in Salisbury. While the fact remains that there was a helicopter landing, it had nothing to do with the reported arrival of a dancer who uses the stage name Bridget the Midget.

This was originally reported by the responding officer as an attempt at humor since that performer has worked there in the past. While the officer is very good at his job this was a case of poor judgment. The pilot of the helicopter was simply visiting the club, he had permission to land the helicopter on the club property and there is no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation that forbids this type of aircraft from landing there.

It is the policy of the Salisbury Police Department to only release accurate and pertinent information to the media and I apologize for any inconvenience this misinformation may have caused.

We are in the process of changing the culture of the Salisbury Police Department and this will be used as learning experience in that process.