Records: Former South Padre Island mayor attempted to solicit restaurant employee while dining with his family
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story may have details that may be disturbing to readers.
An affidavit obtained by Channel 5 News revealed new details into the arrest of former South Padre Island Mayor Dennis Stahl.
Stahl, 73, was arraigned on Monday on a charge of solicitation of prostitution. He was elected mayor in 2017 and resigned in 2019.
According to the affidavit, Stahl was arrested after a 22-year-old female employee at a restaurant reported that Stahl had offered her $500 to have sex with him twice a month on Oct. 1.
Stahl was dining with his wife, son-in-law, granddaughter and infant great-grandson at the South Padre Island restaurant, according to the affidavit. He approached the woman at the front counter and began “talking about things of a sexual nature,” according to the affidavit.
The restaurant won’t be named in this article to protect the identity of the employee.
“The conversation made [her] very upset and uncomfortable,” the affidavit stated. “Dennis asked [her] if she was a virgin and if she shaved her vaginal area.”
The woman left and told other employees what happened after Stahl “picked up a large potato on the counter and advised that his penis was not as large as the potato, but ‘it still works.’”
Restaurant employees confronted Stahl following the conversation, and he left with his family before law enforcement officers arrived, the affidavit said.
Stahl was identified as the suspect via the license plate number of the car he was seen leaving the restaurant in.
Officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety interviewed other employees and witnesses who corroborated the female employee’s original statement. Police interviewed Stahl on Oct. 17, who said he would rather not talk about the incident but said “she was a sweet little girl,” the affidavit added.
According to the affidavit, officers interviewed three additional women who also provided statements of similar experiences with Stahl.
Stahl was booked into the Cameron County detention center on Monday. He was released from custody later that day on a $5,000 bond.
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