Woman Arrested in Stimmelators Raid Misses Court Dates
Posted
Kaitie Vanderpool-
Kelly Joe Whitman, 24, South Bend, one of five people arrested following an investigation into Stimmelators Gentlemen’s Club last year, failed to appear for a court date for the second time since her initial arrest. Whitman was arrested Oct. 31 and charged with felony promoting prostitution and misdemeanor prostitution. A failure to appear felony has now been added to her charges. According to the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, Whitman failed to appear for her initial hearing Jan. 16 and the clerk issued a warrant for her arrest. However, Whitman wrote the court and said she never received notice of her initial hearing, so her warrant was recalled. Her initial hearing was rescheduled and Whitman appeared. But on May 22, Whitman failed to appear for her pre-trial conference and another warrant was issued for her arrest. The warrant was served Saturday afternoon and Whitman was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on a charge of failure to appear, with no bond set. According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, undercover officers with the Syracuse Police Department were investigating alleged prostitution Oct. 24 at Stimmelator’s Gentlemen’s Club in North Webster. The officers arranged for a private party with the club’s owner, Sam Stimmel, and Whitman, who worked as a dancer at the club, for $1,000. The private party was to include three dancers and was to occur at the Wyndham Inn, 2519 E. Center St., Warsaw. One officer also arranged for a private party with sexual favors with Whitman. But Whitman allegedly told the officer that when dancers perform sexual favors, the dancer splits the money with Stimmel. She also advised she agreed to this arrangement with Stimmel. After making the arrangement, the officer met with Whitman and Stimmel together and Stimmel reportedly said he was aware of the agreement the officer had made with Whitman. Stimmel said instead of paying $1,000 for the party, the officer would now be charged $1,800 for the new arrangement. On Oct. 30, Stimmel and three dancers, along with a male subject later identified as Donn Rupert, 51, South Bend, arrived at the Wyndham Inn. After arriving, one officer spoke with two dancers, Kimberly Gill, 32, South Bend, and Christine Bennett, 28, Warsaw, who both agreed to manually stimulate him in exchange for $100 each. A second officer spoke with Whitman about a dance in the private room, then spoke with Stimmel about the private dance. Stimmel said a third party needed to be present. The officer gave Stimmel $400 and the officer, Whitman and Rupert entered the private room. When inside, the officer gave Whitman $300 for manual stimulation and offered Rupert $100 to leave the room. Rupert exited and Whitman allegedly pulled the officer onto the bed and attempted to perform a manual sexual act. Officers then entered the room and made several arrests. Officers later spoke with Bennett, who said she was aware that Whitman went into the private room with one of the officers because she was paid for sexual favors. She also said she was aware money had been given to Stimmel, and also to Rupert to leave the room, according to the affidavit. Whitman later admitted to police she took $300 in exchange for a sexual favor. Undercover officers also performed a raid of Stimmelators Gentlemen’s Club, an adjacent business and a semi trailer parked outside Stimmelators where they recovered a large amount of cash and synthetic drugs.
