Man Faces Charges For Criminal Mischief After Trashing Mechanicsburg Hotel

Remember when Keith Moon of The Who flushed a firecracker down a hotel toilet?  When Ozzy Osbourne threw a TV out of a hotel room window, he was not doing anything different from what the Rolling Stones had done years earlier.  And the less said about the Led Zeppelin mud shark incident, the better.  Sure, it’s fun to read about rock stars trashing hotel rooms.  They probably have it built into their tour budgets to pay for cleanup of the damage they cause to hotel property.  You are not a rock star.  Being a slob is not a crime, and no one expects hotel guests to leave the rooms spotless when they check out, but you can get in serious trouble for intentionally or recklessly damaging hotel rooms or other property.  If you are facing criminal charges for damaging someone else’s property, contact a Pittsburgh property crimes lawyer.

Pennsylvania Criminal Mischief Laws

Pennsylvania defines criminal mischief to include a variety of acts involving the intentional or negligent destruction or damage of public or private property.  Vandalizing property with spray paint, indelible markers, or paintball devices is just one of the categories of criminal mischief.  It can also include virtually any other type of wanton destruction of property.  The penalties for criminal mischief depend on the value of the property destroyed.  If you cause between $150 and $500 in damage, criminal mischief is a summary offense, and if the amount of financial losses you cause is between $500 and $1,000, it is a third-degree misdemeanor.  If you cause between $1,000 and $5,000 in damage, criminal mischief is a second-degree misdemeanor, and if the amount of damage exceeds $5,000, it is a third-degree felony.  This means that you can go to jail or prison for a criminal mischief conviction.

In the News

Conrad Lee Riffle III owns a brewery supply company in Cleveland, Ohio, but by the time he had left a hotel room in Mechanicsburg, it looked more like the hotel rooms inhabited by the sort of people who visit Cleveland in order to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Riffle checked into the Country Inn and Suites on June 28, 2021, and set his check out date for July 26.  When that day came, hotel staff entered his room to clean it, despite that no one had seen Riffle at the hotel for several days.

To say that the room was a mess was an understatement.  Linens had been stuffed in the toilet, the television had been smashed, and rotting food was on multiple surfaces in the room.  The damage to the room added up to more than $10,000.  Riffle, 30, is wanted on charges of criminal mischief, and a warrant is out for his arrest.

Contact Gary E. Gerson About Property Crimes Defense

A property crimes defense lawyer can help you if you are facing charges for damaging a hotel room or an item of public property.  Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.

Sources:

abc27.com/news/top-stories/man-causes-over-10k-in-damages-to-lower-allen-twp-hotel-room/

legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=18&div=0&chpt=33&sctn=4&subsctn=0

flyertalk.com/articles/the-5-most-insane-rock-n-roll-hotel-stories.html