Nikita Dragun was released from jail on Wednesday, with a representative from the Miami-Dade County jail system denying that the transgender influencer was ever placed in a men’s unit.
The 26-year-old was booked on Monday after allegedly “causing a disturbance” at a hotel in South Beach.
Following her release on Wednesday, a representative for Dragun said Miami-Dade County made an “extremely disturbing and dangerous” mistake by putting her in a men’s jail unit.
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“The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being placed in a men’s unit of a Florida jail is extremely disturbing and dangerous,” Dragun rep Jack Ketsoyan said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “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.”
But the Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department is now pushing back on that claim, telling The Daily Beast that Dragun was never actually housed with men.
“All inmates undergoing our intake process remain in an open seating (open booking) area, in the presence of correctional staff,” public information officer Juan Diasgranados said via email on Thursday. “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.”
“Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department (MDCR) is committed to protecting the rights of the transgender community and of all LGBTQ people,” Diasgranados continued. “MDCR 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.”
Dragun was arrested at The Goodtime Hotel on Monday afternoon, where hotel security told officers that Dragun had been “causing a disturbance for a long period of time and was walking around the pool area unclothed.” According to a police report obtained by The Daily Beast, officers heard the 26-year-old blasting music from her room. She opened the door, and after a brief verbal back-and-forth, police say she swung around an open water bottle that ended up hitting a security guard and an officer.
Dragun was charged with felony battery against an officer, misdemeanor battery, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
The police report alternates between describing her as an “Asian female” and using he/him pronouns.
On Wednesday, footage of Dragun appearing remotely before a Miami-Dade judge began circulating on social media. In the video, Dragun wears an orange jumpsuit and looks at the camera as she asks the judge, “Do I have to stay here in the men’s unit, still?”
The judge answers that she doesn’t “make the rules up there” before appearing to punt the issue back to the jail.
Dragun boasts 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube and nine million followers on Instagram. She starred in this year’s Hype House reality series on Netflix.
