Man suspected of sneaking into Dalton motels and stealing

DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) — Dalton Police are looking for a suspect who is accused of going into motels, getting a free meal, and stealing items.

At the Holiday Inn Express in Dalton, Cecy Lagunas, a front office manager, says sometimes people try to sneak in and have a meal.

“It happens a lot. A lot of people walk in here trying to have a free breakfast, but normally no success. They normally get turned around, but this one I guess he made it a little further than just a free breakfast, but not very long. He was caught and escorted out,” Lagunas said.

Before he was caught, he was roaming around.

“He walked in here and pretended that he was a guest and unfortunately I lost sight of him when he was in the second floor,” Lagunas said.

The man didn’t only go to the Holiday Inn Express, he made stops at the nearby Quality Inn and Super 8. He was caught here on surveillance video at the Super 8. Dalton Police say at one of the motels, he went into a room. He is suspected of stealing items like silverware and towels.

For front office managers, this behavior is concerning.

“We don’t know who this person is. What is in his head what is he thinking, what he wants,” Lagunas said.

Police say this is an unusual crime.

“Now whether this happens at other times and we just don’t know about it, I don’t know. Certainly in this case it is not something that we here about everyday,” said Assistant Chief Chris Crossen, with the Dalton Police Department.

Crossen thinks motel employees did a great job handling the situation.

“These clerks did a great job recognizing that this was something, that this certain subject didn’t belong there they were very attentive, they called us,” Crossen said.

Front office managers say this situation has been interesting.

“We are all very surprised to see how much attention he has caught here,” Lagunas said.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect is asked to contact Officer Ben Porter at 706-278-9085, extension 9579 or by email at bporter@cityofdalton-ga.gov.