Posted on 03/21/2008 3:35:07 PM PDT by kingattax
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. -- Three spring breakers were arrested after an explosion rocked two hotel guests from their bed and shattered the windows of their Daytona Beach Shores hotel room around 2:30am Friday.
Officers patrolling the Oceanside Inn on South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores heard a loud explosion early Friday morning. Several witnesses said the explosion came from the sundeck, located on the second floor of the hotel.
When officers first arrived, they found three safety windows had been shattered, along with a metal light pole that had been destroyed. They also noticed metal and glass debris scattered across a 100-foot area.
"The wife, she grabbed the kids and took ‘em to the bathroom and I hit the deck and looked out the window to see where it was coming from," said vacationer Terry Morris.
The Morris family, from Kansas, thought maybe someone was shooting at them as glass shattered inside their hotel room.
"At this point, I had no clue what was going on," said vacationer Dustin Morris.
Police said unreleased surveillance video from the hotel showed three hotel guests running from the scene. The guests, three college students, were identified as 21-year-old Timothy Bechtel of La Grange, Illinois, 21-year-old Christopher Romano of Dayton, Ohio, and 21-year-old Michael Bolt, also from La Grange. When officers contacted Bechtel, he was found to have a cut on his arm and he admitted to being involved in the incident.
Bechtel told police Romano had detonated a partial stick of dynamite while he and Bolt acted as lookouts. A search of the room the three were staying in found no other explosives.
"They're really nice guys, they were just really drunk yesterday," said spring breaker Dan McDonough. "We saw 'em before dark and they were so wasted that I don't think they remember doing that."
The three were charged with discharging a destructive device causing injury and property damage, a first-degree felony. Bond was set at $20,000.
"A child could've been killed. People could've been injured, including the people who set this off," said Daytona Beach Shores Police Chief Stephan Dembinsky.
Damages to the hotel were estimated at $2,000 and guests from two hotel rooms had to be relocated as a result. Oceanside Inn told police it would not be able to rent the rooms for a month, resulting in a loss of $8,000 to $10,000 in revenue. The hotel also told Eyewitness News they're getting calls from worried guests from across the country who have reservations and are now concerned about their safety.
hold muh beer, Einstein.
Sounds like a 1/4 sick to me....gota love em,but,not at a frigen hotel......duhhhhh
Not just stupid but weird.
a first degree felony in Florida is one step below a ‘lifer’ offense, punishable by up to thirty years. They won’t get anywhere near that, but I don’t see them getting off without doing some time over this. Stupid, stupid, and they’re fortunate nobody got killed.
"All things being equal, we've decided to go with an applicant who has not done any hard time for bombing hotels. But we'll keep your resume on file."
Fort Lauderdale chased off the spring breakers many years ago. I don’t think they miss them.
-PJ
Sometimes known as "chlorinating the gene pool!"
Regards,
GtG
Back when i was in school it was firecrackers and bottle rocket fights.Now dynamite?I realize those young men were intoxicated,but that’s going waaay too far.These guys have probably seriously damaged their respective futures.A first degree felony is serious.
Fort Lauderdale chased off the spring breakers many years ago. I don’t think they miss them.
The mayor doesn’t like it, but the commission keeps telling him to shut up.
I don’t get it. Large amounts of alcohol and dynamite are usually such a safe combination...
You’re going to have to help me with the “chase off spring breakers, now a gay destination” reasoning.
I thought all the spring breakers were here. St. Patrick’s Day six days before Easter and coinciding with spring break has brought them out in droves. Plus I hear there was a basketball game. Living for Monday . . .
“Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?”
“If it isn’t the sunny weather or sandy beaches drawing gay tourists to Fort Lauderdale, it must be the astounding number of gay bed & breakfasts, bars, and restaurants. It seems like everybody’s flocking to this part of South Florida to take advantage of the ideal weather, beautiful attractions and easy lifestyle.
The city has quickly evolved into one of America’s premier gay resorts, and it’s no wonder. Fort Lauderdale has always been cherished by beach-goers who want to avoid the pretension and extravagance of other fun-in-the-sun destinations. Best of all, Ft. Lauderdale is affordable while offering plenty of eye candy. In nearby Wilton Manors, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, you’ll find a concentration of fun gay shops and some of the city’s most popular nightlife.”
http://www.funmaps.com/index.cgi/nextState=DestinationDisplay/where:geographicalLocation=5
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