Photo by Mark Garfinkel
Candice Houlihan stands during her court appearance in Lynn yesterday
LYNN - State police are investigating the arrest of an ex-stripper in the media spotlight for her dalliance with Alex Rodriguez after two troopers showed up at her house and cuffed her on a minor 2004 warrant.
Candice Houlihan, a 32-year-old unemployed hairdresser from Reading, believes it's no coincidence she was arrested for having an uninsured and unregistered vehicle the very same week her 2004 tryst with the Yankees slugger was splashed in the Herald and New York tabloids.
"I think it's pretty much because I'm kind of out there right now," the petite blonde told the Herald as she stood outside Lynn District Court yesterday morning.
As of 2007, there were 378,000 outstanding warrants in the state and authorities are now probing what prompted troopers to act on Houlihan's minor infraction.
"The state police are looking into the circumstances of how the arresting troopers learned of the subject's outstanding warrant and the facts pertaining to the arrest," state police spokesman David Procopio said yesterday in response to a Herald inquiry.
A police report lists Troopers Orlando Tirella and Dan Clemens as the arresting officers.
The charges against Houlihan were dismissed yesterday and she agreed to pay $400 in court costs. She never appeared in court in October 2004 after she received a summons and a month later the arrest warrant was issued.
Houlihan does not currently have a valid driver's license.
"Her license has been revoked," said Registry of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Ann Dufresne, citing Houlihan's "outstanding obligations to satisfy in Wakefield, Malden, Lynn, Everett and Medford before she can apply again for a license."
According to the RMV, Houlihan has a checkered driving history dating back to 1997, including three surchargable accidents, two speeding citations and parking and excise tickets.
Houlihan said she had forgotten about the 2004 case until Thursday. She battled back tears as she described the arrest that night at her mother's Wakefield home, where she said two unmarked cruisers were waiting for her when she returned from a restaurant. She was handcuffed and held at the Danvers state police barracks until her father paid $100 to bail her out.
After a week in the spotlight, Houlihan said while she doesn't regret sleeping with Rodriguez on two occasions during the 2004 season, she does regret dishing the details of their dalliance.
Now, she says, like A-Rod's wife, she just wants to put the past behind her. Cynthia Rodriguez filed for divorce this week, citing her husband's extramarital affairs.
"I'm glad that it's over with and now I can move on," Houlihan said.
http://bostonherald.com/news/region.../news/regional/general/view/2008_07_12_State_police_probing_ex-stripper_arrest/
