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Reason Why Hotel Workers Need Panic Buttons: Armed Hotel Guests Who "Hug" Them
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 9, 2012
Modified Feb 9, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 9, 2012
Modified Feb 9, 2012
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A proposed hotel workers' union contract will give staffers panic buttons so "they can quickly and easily activate to effectively summon prompt assistance to their location." And here's a non-DSK reason why it seems like a good idea: Apparently a Midtown hotel guest from Ohio was arrested after allegedly trying to "hug" room service waitresses, who spotted guns in the room.
According to the Post, Ohio resident Fred Vankirk got too friendly with waitresses at the Radisson Hotel on Lexington Avenue on January 8: "The first waitress told cops that when she entered Vankirk's 17th floor room there was a black handgun on the bed, and that Vankirk got down on one knee, proposed marriage to her and tried to hug her, all after telling her, 'Don't worry, if anyone ever tries to hurt you I'll kill them,' Troy said." There were two other guns (all were registered in Ohio) found in the room.
Vankirk has been in jail since the arrest, trying to post $50,000 bail. Since he had a previous DWI conviction, he was "arrested under a weapons charge that bars people from possessing guns in New York state if they have been previously convicted of a crime." He has pleaded not guilty so far.
Tagged
crime
guns
hotel guest
hotel room
panic button
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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