Suspect To Police: I'll Pay For Hotel Flood Damage
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A 31-year-old man was taken into custody over the weekend on criminal mischief and false reporting charges after he said he deliberately flooded a hotel he was staying at.
The incident happened at the Holiday Inn on the 7300 block of West Hampden Avenue in Lakewood early Saturday morning.
Police said Morgan Macbean told them he used a lighter to activate the sprinkler system in his hotel room. That caused water to flood out throughout parts of two floors and because his room was located directly above the hotel's electrical room, an evacuation of the entire building was ordered.
Approximately 300 hotel guests were disrupted in the middle of the night. Some found new hotels on their own, others were assisted by hotel staff who received praised for the help they provided.
"The first floor was flooding and it proceeded to get worse and the water was gushing out of the light," said Clarice Fode, who was one of the evacuees.
Among the guests was a wedding group from Bismarck, North Dakota. They had to act quickly to keep the bridal gown from being destroyed.
"I don't think very much of (the suspect). It was a very bad thing to do," said Donna Spidell, a member of the wedding group. "He put a lot of people in jeopardy."
Police said Macbean told them he would pay for the damage to the hotel.
The hotel is reopened on Sunday after fans were used to dry things out.
