Man collared for coke
Woman arrested for prostitution in Guilderland



GUILDERLAND — A routine traffic stop led police to arrest a professional escort for prostitution and to charge her client with possession of cocaine.

Nicole M. Knight, of 169 Waite Road, Amsterdam, was arrested on Sept. 1, for prostitution, a misdemeanor.

Michael J. Iwanos, 45, of 1427 Western Ave., Guilderland, who police say had solicited sex from Knight, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony.

Guilderland Police say that Knight, who works for Wild Orchids, a Schenectady escort service, charged Iwanos $100 for oral sex, at the Best Western hotel in McKownville.

An employee for Wild Orchids, who refused to give her name to The Enterprise, said that the women who work there do not provide any illegal services.

Each employee, including Knight, signed a contract agreeing to this, she said. Knight was fired after her arrest, the woman said.
Employees of the business are upset, she said, that "one bad apple" can hurt Wild Orchids’ reputation like this.
"We’ve been in business for a long time," she said.
But, she added of Knight, "On the other hand, she says this isn’t true. I try to give everybody the benefit of the doubt. She’s a good person; she’s very nice."

The woman declined further comment about the type of services Wild Orchids provides.
In the phone book, its ad describes the business as an "exotic escort service" that uses discreet billing. The ad says Wild Orchids provides "upscale women for upscale gentlemen," and participates in "no illegal services."

Guilderland Police were led to Best Western after a traffic stop. After midnight on Sept. 1, said Guilderland Lieutenant Carol Lawlor, officers pulled over a car driven by Jonathan Eisler. They found that he was wanted by the Saratoga Police, she said.
Eisler, 22, has the same address as Knight. Lawlor said she was unaware of Eisler’s relationship to Knight, but said, "It’s not like he’s employed by Wild Orchids or anything."

During Eisler’s arrest, officers saw that his passenger, Knight, appeared to be impaired by drugs, Lawlor said.

Knight told police that she knew there were drugs in Room 236 of the Best Western hotel, Lawlor said. Police investigated and found Iwanos in that room. He allowed officers to search the room, Lawlor said.

Police found a bag of white powder, believed to be cocaine, and other related items, under the mattress of the bed, the arrest report says. Iwanos was then charged with possession of cocaine.

Iwanos told police that, earlier, he had paid Knight $100 in cash for oral sex, the report says. She was then arrested for prostitution.

Suparmanto, the manager of Best Western who goes by one name, told The Enterprise that he didn’t know why two of his guests were arrested on Sept. 1.

Police came into the hotel, went straight upstairs, and, a few minutes later, escorted Knight and Iwanos out, Suparmanto said.
"We weren’t informed about why they were arrested," he said. "There was no commotion at all."

The next day, Suparmanto said, the hotel’s housekeeping manager cleaned the room. All Iwanos left behind were a few beer bottles, he said.
"We really don’t know what our guests are doing in their rooms," Suparmanto said. "They pay for the room and it’s theirs. They can do whatever they want."

Asked why Iwanos was not arrested for soliciting prostitution, Lawlor said she didn’t know. Perhaps he will be charged later, when he appears in town court, she said.

Prostitution arrests are rare in Guilderland, Lawlor said. The last one was years ago, she said.

Guilderland Police do not have a policy for arrests of prostitutes and their clients, she said; the department follows the penal law guidelines.

Neither Knight nor Iwanos could be reached for comment this week. They are both scheduled to appear in town court at a later date.