By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Most hotels the world over require that a guest submit a credit card when checking in, just to guarantee that any damages or other charges are covered. Obviously, a man who is working in the area hadn’t gotten the news when he checked in at Atmore’s Fairfield Inn last Saturday, September 18.
The man, whose name he provided to the hotel’s on-duty attendant (but has not yet been released by police), lost his cool around 4 p.m. when told he would have to submit a credit or debit card before being given a room-key card.
“The man walked up to the counter and told the attendant his company had reserved a room for him,” said Police Chief Chuck Brooks. “The attendant told him a credit card was needed, just to put on file, and he refused.”
The man, reportedly wearing a full face covering, continued the debate in a belligerent tone, prompting the attendant to cancel the reservation and ask him to leave.
Police reports show the man “became irate and started cussing.” He reached into the waistband of his pants as if for a weapon, causing the attendant to flee the immediate area. The attendant reportedly could hear “breaking noises” coming from the lobby.
The angry former hotel guest reportedly threw several computer items in the hotel’s business area down to the floor, damaging them, before leaving.
Brooks said the man faces arrest on a charge of second-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, when he is caught since total damage to the computers was between $500 and $2,500.