Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Michelle Peacock Found Not Guilty of Prostitution

Posted by PJ Tobia on Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 2:30 PM

Former Déjà Vu stripper Michelle Peacock was found not guilty on three counts of prostitution yesterday in a jury trial held in Davidson County Criminal Court. Peacock, who is suing this reporter and the Nashville Scene’s parent company, City Press, for defamation over this story was arrested last fall for three counts of prostitution after allegedly offering handjobs to undercover officers at the Demonbruen Street strip club. Peacock’s attorney, Don Himmelberg, based his defense on the fact that the officers involved in the investigation didn’t use a wire to record their conversations with Peacock and did not arrest Peacock until after she declined to work with them as a confidential informant. He also asserted during the trial that officers and assistant district attorneys violated the law by colluding on testimony. “They heard the testimony from the first [detective,]” Himmelberg told judge Seth Norman while asking for a mistrial, “and they prepped [the other detectives] on what they needed to be aware of. That is absolutely in violation of any due process.” Norman took the mistrial request under advisement, but in the end did not rule on the matter. J.W. Hupp and Antoinette Welch, the assistant DA’s who prosecuted the case, denied that they engaged in witness tampering. “Obviously I know not to talk about witnesses’ testimony with witnesses,” said Hupp. In a surprise move, Himmelberg also had Peacock, 32, take the stand in her own defense. She testified that she had been stripping since two weeks after her 18th birthday and had worked for Déjà Vu almost the entire time. Peacock told the jury that while she did talk dirty to an undercover detective, saying, “I probably did talk about his cock,” she would never have sexual contact with a customer. “I may discuss fantasies, but I would never act on them.” The trial, which began Monday morning, ended on Tuesday afternoon, after four hours of deliberation by the jury.

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shes been stripping since she was underage and doing it illegally in louisville kentucky. i believe at the godfather or deja vu there.. she is the daughter of mary peacock and was raised in sheperdsville kentucky. she got a legal separation from her parents when she was sixteen because she was such a problem child {about the time she started stripping}. she is also bipolar manic depressant.

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Posted by scott h on November 17, 2008 at 8:55 PM

I knew Michelle for several years. Yes, I did work with her and while doing so she never made me feel less than a good person. I never witnessed Michelle being involved in or even offering sexual favors to anyone. In that kind of business there are those who there to help financially support themselves, their parents, their children, and to help their spouses. It is not an easy place to be. And granted some dancers are on drugs and some dancers do get involved with prostitution. Most of these girls have been in or are currently in relationships that are hurtful, demeaning, and degrading. Either sexually assaulted, molested, physically, and/or verbally abused. Some where down the line someone made them feel less than wanted or loved. These ingredients equal poor self image. I am one of the people who was fulfilling a fantasy of my own and got caught up in the scene of it all. I came, I danced, and I moved on. Not all of the dancers have that chance, but soon they will all have a place to seek the refuge of God and be unconditionally loved and accepted as they are! Please, I implore each and everyone of you to reach into your hearts, say a prayer for all of the lost souls out there. Love them as the humans the are, not what society has conformed them to. Thank you and God bless us!

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Posted by jenn on December 13, 2008 at 3:21 AM
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