Porn star pleads guilty to stealing cab on Strip with passenger inside
An adult film actor who was accused of stealing a cab on the Strip with a passenger inside and leading police on a lengthy pursuit last year has pleaded guilty to a felony.
Michael Swayze, 24, was arrested May 24, 2022, after leading police on a chase toward Logandale, about 60 miles away from the Strip, the Metropolitan Police Department has said. Swayze had entered a cab in the Bally’s valet area when a driver stepped out to help unload luggage, before Swayze sped away at a “high rate of speed” with a passenger in the backseat.
An online database credits Swayze in dozens of adult films from 2019 to 2021.
Swayze pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony charge of failing to stop on a police officer’s signal, court records show. Prosecutors also agreed not to oppose probation for Swayze.
Defense attorney Chris Rasmussen said if Swayze is sentenced and completes probation, he will be able to change his plea to a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.
Rasmussen has previously said that Swayze’s actions were due to mental illness, and he underwent a competency evaluation earlier this year, court records show.
“He completed that program and he’s completely fine now,” Rasmussen said. “He seems completely competent and normal now.”
Police have said that after Swayze stole the cab, he let the passenger out of the vehicle about a mile from the hotel. The Arizona Highway Patrol stopped the car with spike strips near the state border.
Swayze initially faced charges in Arizona of DUI, reckless endangerment and evading authorities, but those charges were dropped after authorities determined Swayze was not driving while impaired, Rasmussen said.
He is scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing on September 6.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
