(Robert Jonathan, Headline USA) Something was allegedly afoot in a Nashville hotel room, and it was very bizarre and disgusting.
A fast-asleep guest who was staying at the Hilton Hotel woke up to discover that the night manager had entered the room and was allegedly sucking on the guest’s toes.
After an investigation that culminated in a May 5 arrest pursuant to a warrant, the front-desk employee reportedly faces charges of aggravated burglary and assault.
As with all pending criminal matters, the presumption of innocence applies.
“Police said [the manager] allegedly made a key card and used it to enter the guest’s room on March 30 at around 5 a.m.,” ABC Nashville affiliate WKRN reported.
Cops questioned the manager, identified by multiple media outlets as David Neal, 52, who allegedly told them he was checking on the guest in the room only because he smelled smoke.
“However, police said Neal did not report the smell of smoke to security, nor were there any other reports about a smell of smoke in the hotel,” WKRN added.
According to CBS affiliate WTVF, guest Peter Brennan said he jumped up instantly and demanded answers from the hotel employee.
“I could see he was wearing a uniform; he had his name tag on,” Brennan said. “He was talking to me but not giving me any substantive answers.”
Brennan understandably described what happened as “almost like a dream, a sort of nightmare. It just didn’t make sense. Why is this person touching me?”
He indicated that he recognized the alleged intruder as the same man who came to his room the day before to fix his television.
The guest, who is now suing in civil court, apparently contacted police because hotel security was less than helpful.
Brennan, who had traveled to Nashville from Texas to attend a business conference, has also revealed that the disturbing incident still keeps him up at night and has prompted him to seek counseling.
His lawsuit names Hilton Hotels and Neal as defendants.
Brennan’s lawyer implied that the night manager has “multiple crimes” in his background, WTVF reported.
Reacting to the unwanted and startling wake-up call report, a Hilton Corporation spokesperson said that “Hilton Nashville Downtown is independently owned and operated by a third party and no Hilton entity employs staff at this property. The safety and security of our guests is our top priority and Hilton takes matters such as these very seriously.”
A hotel manager there insisted in a statement that they were cooperating fully with investigators.
“The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority,” said the statement. “We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and, as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations.”
A nightmarish scenario of this kind is a reminder that hotel guests as a general rule should use the door swing bar lock or the equivalent, which is a hardware device that physically stops a door from opening, when they return to their rooms.
Neal reportedly told cops that he threw away the purported cloned key card; detectives were unable to find it.
Neal is due back in court on June 2. At the time of he was taken into custody, he was subject to a $27,000 bond.
