A trans-identified male social media influencer claims it was wrong for police to house the individual in a men’s prison after they were arrested for assaulting a police officer after walking around a hotel pool naked.
A trans-identified male social media influencer who was arrested for assaulting a police officer after walking around a hotel pool naked has complained about being held in a men’s prison. Local corrections service denies housing the internet celebrity in the men's wing.
Nikita Dragun, whose YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram followers total 27 million, was arrested Monday at The Goodtime Hotel in Miami after a call was placed reporting the influencer’s disorderly conduct, reported NBC News.
https://rumble.com/embed/vjxw1x/?pub=2n05b
According to the arrest affidavit, Dragun had been “causing a disturbance and being extremely disorderly … walking around the pool area unclothed.” When approached by hotel staff, the YouTube celebrity threw water at a member of staff.
Later, when police officers arrived at the hotel room, Dragun opened the door asking “Do you want more?” before throwing an open water bottle at the officers and security staff.
Dragun was then arrested on felony assault charges, as well as misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to the arrest affidavit provided to NBC. The social media star was then transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where Dragun claims to have been placed in the men’s unit.
Video footage of the influencer’s court appearance was released to the media earlier this week.
“Do I have to stay here in the men’s unit?” Dragun can be heard asking the judge, who responds that she doesn’t make the rules but that the trans-identified male should be in a separate area.
“The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being placed in a men’s unit of a Florida jail is extremely disturbing and dangerous,” Dragun’s rep. Jack Keysoyan said in a statement to TMZ.
"This decision made by the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department directly violates their protocol, which mandates that transgender inmates are classified and housed on safety needs and gender identity."
However, in a statement to TMZ, a rep for Miami-Dade Corrections said that “Inmate Dragun never made it beyond the booking process prior to release; therefore, she was never placed in a men’s unit…Additionally, inmate Dragun was placed in a holding cell by herself due to her high profile status before being released, and she was escorted by an LGBTQ officer during her time at the corrections facility.”
Dragun, who has spoken publicly about mental health issues and announced earlier this year a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, had tweeted about a separate altercation just hours before the arrest at The Goodtime Hotel.
Concerning the disturbance in a nightclub, the TikTok celebrity tweeted: “bottom line. i see a man put hands on a woman. please 'call the cops.' cus need u forget. i know i look like a Doll on the outside, but i still hit like a Dude.”
https://twitter.com/NikitaDragun/status/1589498955070857216?s=20&t=aVaTAoY8AZ4b3HHHgC4QEQ
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