Category Archives: Crime

by | May 28, 2012 · 6:56 am

Hospitality Industry Health Hazards: Meth Labs Discovered At Hotels And Motels Force "Temporary Closure" As Tests And Contamination Cleanup Required; Process Can Take Weeks Or Even Months To Complete

Once a lab is discovered at a hotel or motel, owners must temporarily close their establishments while a contractor is called to test and cleanup the contamination. This process can take weeks and even months…If undetected, the poisonous chemicals in meth can circulate throughout a hotel and can lead to respiratory problems, skin and eye irritation, headaches nausea and dizziness. Short-term exposure to highly concentrated meth can cause severe lung damage and burns to various parts of the body.

Authorities say methamphetamine creation inside hotel rooms is increasing as crews work to test and clean the latest contamination closure in Kanawha County. Police and health officials have responded to at least 10 meth lab calls in hotels or motels in West Virginia since January, said Brandon Lewis, state program coordinator for the Clandestine Drug Laboratory Rehabilitation Program. In all of 2011, he said, only two or three labs were found at hotels.

Lewis said meth cooking inside these rooms is troublesome to owners and health officials alike — and it’s a problem that is not going away anytime soon.

On May 18, Kanawha County sheriff’s deputies discovered the most recent case at the Comfort Inn in Cross Lanes. Deputies arrested two suspects and charged them with attempting to operate a clandestine drug lab upon finding a Coleman fuel can and a bottle of nail polish remover, common substances used to make meth, inside their room.

The hotel remains closed until a hazardous-cleanup company can decontaminate the rooms to safe meth exposure levels, about 0.1 microgram of residue per 100 square centimeters.

For more:  http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201205270138

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Hazards: Meth Labs Discovered At Hotels And Motels Force "Temporary Closure" As Tests And Contamination Cleanup Required; Process Can Take Weeks Or Even Months To Complete

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Health, Insurance, Labor Issues, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | May 27, 2012 · 6:54 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Alabama Hotel Security Guard Arrested On Murder Charges After Shooting Man

Police later learned (victim) and the suspect, a security guard at the hotel, had gotten into a verbal altercation with the victim prior to the shooting.

A 24-year-old security guard has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a late night shooting at a Birmingham extended-stay hotel. When officers arrived they found a male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the facility. A 24-year-old female was also located by officers and had been shot in the leg. She was identified by police as being the girlfriend of the male. Her injury is non-life threatening.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue arrived to the scene and pronounced the man dead on the scene. He is identified as 27-year-old David Winston of Birmingham.

The guard, 24-year-old Pierre Myles of Bessemer has been arrested. A Murder warrant with a $75,000 bond, as well as an Assault warrant with a $15,000 bond has been obtained against Myles. He is being held in the Jefferson County Jail.

For more:  http://www.abc3340.com/story/18632202/hotel-security-officer-arrested-in-connection-with-friday-shooting

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Alabama Hotel Security Guard Arrested On Murder Charges After Shooting Man

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Injuries, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | May 23, 2012 · 6:23 am

Hospitality Industry Information Risks: Man Arrested In Texas Hotel Room At Center Of "Extensive Identity Theft Operation"

“…(He) is charged with the possession of marijuana and meth. But inside his hotel room at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas police found 400 to 500 credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and social security numbers. There was evidence of personal information involving a federal agency lifted from registration forms from a conference hosted by a North Texas hotel…”

A California man with North Texas ties is behind bars for drug possession. He was also in a downtown Dallas hotel room that appeared to be the center of an extensive identity theft operation. On Monday Dallas police arrested 26-year-old Justin Bennett. His last known address is in Los Angeles but records show he used to live in Rockwall.

Police also confiscated three laptops, a printer and a credit card embossing machine.

Sources said whoever is behind the identity theft operation appears to be taking existing credit card numbers and putting different names on them. It would never have been discovered except for a clever car rental company.

On Sunday the rental company out of Oklahoma rented a white SUV from its satellite office near the airport to a man who paid $2200 for two weeks. He used a credit card.

For more:  http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/18597822/extensive-identity-theft-operation-exposed

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Information Risks: Man Arrested In Texas Hotel Room At Center Of "Extensive Identity Theft Operation"

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Theft

Tagged as , , , ,

by | May 22, 2012 · 6:12 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Texas Hotel Guests Have Laptop And iPad Stolen From Room; GPS Tracking Feature Leads Police To Thieves

“…Police say hotel guests returned to their room to find their key card no longer worked. Once they had a new key, they discovered someone had stolen a laptop computer, wallet, a cell phone and the iPad from the room…”

Officers were able to track down an iPad stolen from a room at the Omni Bayfront Hotel to a home on the southside of town early Sunday morning.

The owner of the iPad used a tracking feature on the device to let officers know they could find the iPad at an address on High Meadow Drive. Police say when they arrived at the home they could see people inside and marijuana in plain view.

The people inside refused to answer the door for police at first, but someone inside did answer the victim’s phone when police called.

For more:  http://www.kristv.com/news/hotel-guests-help-track-down-theft-suspects/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Texas Hotel Guests Have Laptop And iPad Stolen From Room; GPS Tracking Feature Leads Police To Thieves

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Privacy, Technology, Theft

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | May 19, 2012 · 7:11 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Colorado Hotel Clerk "Doused With Lighter Fluid" By Robbery Suspect

A robber doused a hotel clerk with lighter fluid at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and threatened to set the clerk on fire at the Clarion Hotel.

The hotel is in the 300 block of West Bijou Street. Police said the suspect entered the lobby and demanded cash.

He doused a hotel clerk with lighter fluid and threatened to set the clerk on fire. The robber grabbed money out of the cash drawer and fled on foot..

Police said they arrived shortly after and searched the area with K-9 units, but were not able to track him down.

For more:  http://www.krdo.com/news/31086470/detail.html

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Colorado Hotel Clerk "Doused With Lighter Fluid" By Robbery Suspect

Filed under Crime, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Theft

Tagged as , , ,

by | May 18, 2012 · 6:23 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Risks: Police Arrest Massachussetts Hotel Guest For "Disturbing The Peace" After Refusing To Cease Loud Noises In Room

“…hotel security personnel stated that they had received multiple complaints relative to loud and unsettling noises coming from one of the rooms in the hotel…”

“…When told the hotel had a right to disinvite guests for bad behavior and excessive noise, the individual continued to verbally disrespect and disparage the officers. Officers arrested (man) and charged him with Disturbing the Peace…”

Officers responded to a call for a person or persons producing excessive amounts of noise at 1 Avenue de Lafayette (Hyatt Hotel). Security personnel further stated that occupants of the room were asked to put an end to the loud noises or face the prospect of being asked to leave the hotel.

Despite repeated warnings, the occupants continued to generate disturbing noises. When told they, the occupants, had to leave, the occupants told hotel security they weren’t going anywhere. Officers proceeded to the room to break the bad news to the occupants.

Upon entering the room, officers observed several empty beer and wine bottles strewn about the room. While officers were in the middle of providing an explanation as to the occupants had to leave, one individual in particular began yelling and complaining about his rights.

For more:  http://www.bpdnews.com/2012/05/17/checking-into-a-hotel-is-one-thing-being-asked-to-check-out-for-bad-behavior-is-another/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Guest Risks: Police Arrest Massachussetts Hotel Guest For "Disturbing The Peace" After Refusing To Cease Loud Noises In Room

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Privacy

Tagged as , , , ,

by | May 16, 2012 · 6:08 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Woman Sues Illinois Hotel Over Bartender's "Sexual Assault"; Convicted Employee Allegedly Obtained Room Key From Front Desk

“…The lawsuit contends Dabrowski on Oct. 27 spiked the woman’s drink with a “date rape” drug. He allegedly obtained the key to her room from the front desk and then sexually assaulted her as she lay unconscious on her bed in the hotel..”

A Naperville man accused in a federal lawsuit of sexually assaulting a female guest of the Hilton Lisle/Naperville hotel has been convicted of a misdemeanor charge of trespassing in the woman’s room.

Jayson D. Dabrowski, a former bartender at the hotel, has been ordered to serve seven days in the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program, or SWAP, according to records on file in DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton. Dabrowski has also been placed on two years of court supervision, records indicated.

The woman, a resident of Virginia, is seeking more than $75,000 in damages. Her lawsuit is not expected to come to trial for at least a year.

For more: http://napervillesun.suntimes.com/news/12554670-418/man-accused-of-lisle-hotel-sex-attack-found-guilty-of-trespassing.html

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Woman Sues Illinois Hotel Over Bartender's "Sexual Assault"; Convicted Employee Allegedly Obtained Room Key From Front Desk

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , ,

by | May 14, 2012 · 6:16 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: North Carolina Hotel Employee Arrested For "Embezzling" More Than $16,000 From Hotel Deposits And Petty Cash

More than $12,000 came from cash deposits not being made; $2,132 from petty cash and falsified receipts; $1,756 from miscellaneous revenue; and $336 in overdraft fees as a result of deposits not being made.

A 57-year-old woman embezzled more than $16,000 from a Gastonia hotel in about three weeks, according to an arrest warrant. Judy Adaline Steele of Cullowhee in western North Carolina took the money from the Knights Inn at 1400 E. Franklin Blvd. between Dec. 23 and Jan. 11, according to the warrant.

She also occupied two rooms at the hotel, resulting in an additional $3,000 damage, according to the report.

Sri Krupa told police he had withheld Steele’s final two paychecks totaling $1,377 because of the theft. Steele was booked into Gaston County Jail under a $25,000 bond on a charge of embezzlement.

Read more: http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/deposits-71072-gastonia-hotel.html#ixzz1uqvwUS8U

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: North Carolina Hotel Employee Arrested For "Embezzling" More Than $16,000 From Hotel Deposits And Petty Cash

Filed under Crime, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Theft

Tagged as , , ,

by | May 3, 2012 · 8:02 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Tennessee Motel Surveillance Video Identifies Suspects In Front Desk Register Theft

“…The clerk noticed the money missing, called police and a quick check of the surveillance video showed the two suspects running back to their room in the very same hotel…”

Cookeville Police said two men were arrested after burglarizing the motel where they were staying. Surveillance video led police to the men who robbed the motel on Interstate Drive on Wednesday night.

The desk clerk left the front office to begin preparing breakfast for guests. That’s when one suspect kept an eye on him, while the other cleaned out the register of more than $200.

Both men, whose identities were not released, were booked Thursday morning on theft charges.

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Tennessee Motel Surveillance Video Identifies Suspects In Front Desk Register Theft

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Theft

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | April 26, 2012 · 6:08 am

Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: Federal Lawsuit Alleges Miami Employment Agency Forced Thrity "H-2B Status" Guest Workers To Do Unsanctioned Work As Housekeepers At Florida Hotels

According to the lawsuit, thirty guest workers were brought to Miami by Villanueva, purportedly to work at the W South Beach as housekeepers for $8.28 an hour.

“…(plaintiff) had many of the workers do unsanctioned work for less than minimum wage. He charged the workers “security deposits” ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 Filipino pesos– or $1,200 to $2,350– which they would lose if they quit those jobs. He crowded the workers in housing Florida and New Jersey, “on floors, air mattresses, and in hallways”, according to the suit, and in “beds infested with bedbugs.”

According to a new federal lawsuit, the Filipino worker who changed your sheets at W South Beach Hotel, or served you lunch at posh restaurants and country clubs, may have essentially been an indentured servant. Seventeen Filipino immigrants allege that a ring of Miami-based employment agencies charged them outrageous “security deposits,” forced them to work for less than minimum wage and no overtime, and stashed them in overcrowded housing.

In a statement to Riptide, the hotel’s general manager George Cozonis acknowledged that the W had used Villanueva’s workers in the past: “W South Beach does not currently work with Jose Villanueva’s agency, Lincoln Road Employment Advisory Services, to provide staffing to the hotel or any of its affiliated operators. LREAS was used briefly during the opening period of the hotel, but all ties were severed more than 19 months ago.”

Employers such as the W, The Admiral’s Club country club in Jupiter, and the Kiawah Island Club in South Carolina arranged with Villanueva for the workers to immigrate under H-2B status from 2006 to 2009.

For more:  http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/04/miami_employment_agencies_supp.php

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: Federal Lawsuit Alleges Miami Employment Agency Forced Thrity "H-2B Status" Guest Workers To Do Unsanctioned Work As Housekeepers At Florida Hotels

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , ,