Cops:Same underage stripper at 2nd club

DETROIT (AP) - An underage girl found dancing at a strip bar earlier this year was caught dancing at another topless club in Detroit on the same day the first establishment was padlocked, police said Tuesday.

Officers went to Club Onyx on Monday night after getting a tip that an underage girl was dancing, police spokesman John Roach said. The 15-year-old they found was the same girl who at age 14 was performing at All Stars Lounge in April, he said.

Police arrested a manager at Club Onyx, Roach said. No charges had been brought as of Tuesday evening, but Roach said the club could be shuttered and the manager could be charged with child sexually abusive activity.

"It says a lot about the girl's situation but also it says a lot about the way some of these clubs operate," Roach said of the discovery.

Messages seeking comment were left Tuesday at phone listings for the club.

The arrest came on the same day that All Stars Lounge was padlocked following an order from a judge. That club is to remain closed for a year. Timothy P. Murphy, a lawyer for All Stars, said he's appealing. He said the Club Onyx bust makes him suspicious about what circumstances drew police to both clubs.

"I think she's working for the Detroit Police Department," Murphy said. "I think it's obvious."

Roach denied that claim.

Andrew Hutson, a manager at All Stars in April, was ordered to stand trial Tuesday following a preliminary hearing in 36th District Court. He was arrested and charged with child sexually abusive activity after the girl's mother told police she pulled her daughter from the club. He's due back in court on July 27.

A message was left Tuesday with Hutson's lawyer Marc Hart, who has said his client had nothing to do with girl's hiring. Under questioning from Hart, the girl said in court she had danced at two other clubs before All Stars.

Club Onyx likely will face similar action as All Stars, Roach said. The girl, whose name was not released because of her age, was being held at a youth home on a probation violation from a prior truancy issue, he said.

Just last Thursday, Roach said, police had met with Club Onyx's owner and staff to remind them that Detroit rules require performers to have a city-issued dance card. The girl, Roach said, didn't have such a card. He said he didn't know whether she had presented the club with any other form of ID.

Club Onyx has operated as a strip bar for several years, Roach said. The area just around the club has been problematic for police in recent years, with one fatal shooting and three or four nonfatal shootings, he said.