Two intoxicated "exotic dancers," who were arrested near The Golf Course in Williamsburg late Friday evening, told police that they were hired to sell alcohol and food to golfers during a charity golf scramble, The Joey Taylor Memorial Golf Scramble, earlier that day. One of the dancers was also charged with drug trafficking after the event.
"Right now it is an open investigation," Whitley County Sheriff’s Sgt. Shawn Jackson, the investigating officer, said Monday afternoon in regards to questions about whether the event organizer or golf course management might possibly be charged with illegally selling alcohol or other offenses. So far no charges have been filed against either.
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| Joey Taylor Memorial Golf Scramble organizer Danny Davenport, above, is under scrutiny by authorities after accusations of ‘hookers’ and illegal booze sales at the event. |
"We are going to look at the big picture. We are going to look at it from all angles. There are other charges possible. We just don’t know who or what at this point. We are just looking at it from every angle," Jackson said.
Jackson said that he plans to consult with Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble regarding what laws might have been broken and whether additional charges should be pursued.
Friday evening, law enforcement was requested to respond to Airport Road near The Golf Course.
"According to the caller, they had confronted the organizer of the Joey Taylor Memorial Golf Scramble, Danny Davenport, about having ‘hookers’ at the event, and that they no longer wanted their deceased family member’s name associated with it. The caller then stated, Mr. Davenport became very upset, aggressive, and started threatening family members of the deceased," Jackson said in a press release.
Joey Taylor’s son, Joe Taylor, 22, had confronted Davenport, after he went to the scramble and observed "vulgar stuff" and things he didn’t agree with, Jackson explained.
"He told Danny that he didn’t want his father’s name associated with stuff like that any more. That’s when Danny got upset and got really belligerent with him I think," Jackson said.
Davenport also got belligerent and threatening during a telephone conversation with Joe’s mother, Jackson added.
Jackson responded to the scene about 10:30 p.m., and noticed several vehicles leaving the area of the golf course.
While conducting a traffic stop, Jackson noticed a vehicle pull up behind him and the driver exit the car, who smelled of alcohol and failed field sobriety tests, according to the press release.
The driver, Amythyst S. Brown, 20, of Middleburg, told police she was an "exotic dancer" from Lexington and that she had been hired by Davenport to "sell alcohol and food" at the golf scramble. She also admitted to police that she had been drinking alcohol and had smoked marijuana, Jackson said.
Jackson arrested Brown charging her with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.
After getting consent to search her vehicle, Jackson also discovered a small plastic wrapper with a blue pill that Brown identified as "Ecstasy," which she had been selling for $20 each, but said that it was the last one she had, according to the release.
She didn’t describe anyone at the event that she sold Ecstasy too, Jackson noted.
Brown told police "times were rough," and that she was selling the pills to support her five-year-old child and that she had just found out that she was pregnant, Jackson wrote.
"According to the female, several other females had been hired to do various jobs by Mr. Davenport at the golf scramble,"
Jackson wrote in the release.
Jackson seized cash from Brown and a 2002 Honda Civic that she was driving.
Jackson also charged a second exotic dancer, who was riding in the car with Brown, Lacrisha J. Moberly, 23, of Lexington, with alcohol intoxication.
"Mrs. Moberly made the statement that she was a ‘stripper and dancer’ at a club in Lexington, and had been hired by Davenport to ‘sell alcohol’ and ‘work the event,’" Jackson wrote in the release.
Jackson said that he’s not sure how many women were hired to work the event, but that others from Pikeville were possibly hired.
Neither of the two women, who were arrested, indicated how much that they had gotten paid, but both had "quite a bit of cash" on them, Jackson said.
In terms of whether any women at the event were stripping or hooking, Jackson said police aren’t sure what types of behavior were going on there.
A member of Taylor’s family told police he was there and saw some "pretty provocative" things and "pretty obscene" things for a public event like that, and that the family member didn’t agree with that type of behavior, especially on Good Friday, Jackson said.
Why were the two women still at The Golf Course at least two hours after dark?
"That’s an interesting question," Jackson said noting he’s not sure what they were still doing there.
Not guilty plea entered
Brown pleaded not guilty to all charges during her arraignment Monday morning before District Judge Cathy Prewitt.
Prewitt scheduled a May 2 preliminary hearing in the case, appointed the public advocate’s office to represent Brown, and opted not to change her $7,500 cash bond.
Brown told WKYT reporter Phil Pendleton Monday afternoon that she thinks she was set up because police wanted to search her vehicle and her belongings.
She also told WKYT the way the men were acting towards her led her to believe some of them thought she was there for more than just serving alcohol and snacks.
"I didn’t know he was wanting us to do ‘other things.’ That’s why I think he was trying to get us here, get us in trouble, because we didn’t do what he wanted us to do," Brown told the television station.
She added that she didn’t know Whitley County was a dry county.
When contacted by cell phone Monday afternoon, Davenport referred all questions to his attorney, Paul Croley. Croley confirmed that he and law partner B.J. Foley are representing Davenport, but said they had no comment at this time.
About the event
Clara Sexton, owner and operator of The Golf Course, said that this was the ninth year for The Joey Taylor Memorial Golf Scramble. It was started about nine years ago after Taylor, who was a popular member at the golf course, was killed.
"We began doing it so his son, Joe Taylor Jr., wouldn’t have to stop playing golf," Sexton said. "The family wasn’t destitute, but golf is an expensive sport. For two or three years, the proceeds went to Joey Taylor Jr. He is the one, who made the complaint the other day."
After the younger Taylor graduated high school, Sexton said the event was used to help a young kid with the potential to be "a pretty good golfer."
All the young person had to do to keep being the beneficiary through high school graduation was to make decent grades and keep improving their golf game.
So far there have been three young golfers besides Taylor, to have benefited from the scramble’s proceeds. The current recipient is Sara Walker.
Will the event be back next year?
"I kind of doubt it," Sexton noted. "Evidently the Taylor family doesn’t like this event any more, that will be up to Danny. He is the person who does it."
Sexton said the event began with a committee, but the committee "sort of died on the vine," and Davenport began doing it all.
"He does a pretty good job, I think," Sexton said.
Only sold rounds of golf
Sexton said that she didn’t know alcohol was being served or that "exotic dancers" had been hired to work the event.
"I sell rounds of golf that is all I did. I sold Danny Davenport 72, 18-hole rounds of golf. He paid me for them, and that is all I am familiar with."
Sexton said she has nothing to do with the organization of the event other than selling rounds of golf, which she does for many organizations and individuals.
"It is not my job to make judgments about their behavior and morals," she added.
Sexton said that there were several volunteers at the course that day assisting with the scramble.
"I did see some girls out there, but I didn’t see anybody, who looked like she was less than 21. I never saw the girls, who were supposed to be here from Lexington," she said.
"I don’t know anything about anything else. No alcohol came from me, I can tell you that. This is a dry county. I don’t serve alcohol here."
Corporal Ken Shepherd and deputies John Hill and Scotty Prewitt assisted with the investigation.
