Officials Dispute Account, Say Transgender Influencer Nikita Dragun Was Never in Men’s Jail [Photo]

Nikita Dragun, a transgender beauty influencer, was arrested in Florida Monday night and released Wednesday.

via: Local 10

Officials with the Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department are disputing allegations that beauty influencer Nikita Dragun, a transgender woman arrested in Miami Beach earlier this week, was placed in a men’s unit in jail.

Dragun, 26, who has millions of followers on YouTube and various social media platforms, was accused of creating a disturbance at a South Beach hotel, walking around its pool naked and then throwing water on a police officer Monday.

She appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Tuesday, where she asked Judge Mindy Glazer if she could be moved out of a men’s facility.

But MDCR spokesperson Juan Diasgranados said Thursday the agency wanted to “push back” against Dragun’s allegations, which were reported in multiple national publications and created a firestorm on social media.

“Dragun never made it beyond the booking process prior to release; therefore, she was never placed in a men’s unit,” Diasgranados said. “All inmates undergoing our intake process remain in an open seating (open booking) area, in the presence of correctional staff. 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.”

Diasgranados said MDCR is “committed to protecting the rights of the transgender community and of all LGBTQ people” and said the agency “has procedures in place for the appropriate intake, housing, and medical needs of transgender inmates, and we are committed to ensuring that all inmates in our custody, including transgender persons, are treated appropriately throughout our intake, classification and placement process.”

He said all of those procedures were followed in Dragun’s booking and release.

Nikita’s rep, Jack Ketsoyan, told TMZ … “The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being placed in a men’s unit of a Florida jail is extremely disturbing and dangerous.”

Ketsoyan continues, “This decision made by the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department directly violates their protocol, which mandates that transgender inmates are classified and housed based on safety needs and gender identity.”

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