A homeless Pennsylvania man was arrested after he was discovered sleeping in the presidential suite of one of Pittsburgh's most chic and expensive hotels.
48-year-old Jeffrey Lennon Watson was arrested at the Omni William Penn Hotel on Tuesday night, after he was found by hotel guests who had booked the suite and were checking into their room.
At about 7:30 p.m., they entered their swanky digs only to catch sight of sleeping Watson snoozing on a couch. Police spokesperson Diane Richard told the Arizona Daily Star that the guests alerted hotel personnel of a stranger catching z's in their luxury hotel room. Security was sent up to the suite, where they woke up Watson, took him to their office and notified the authorities.
Watson reportedly told police he was from Los Angeles, Calif. and was on his way back to the west coast, passing through Pittsburgh. Watson also informed authorities that he's "been in Pittsburgh for over a month and sleeps wherever he can locate somewhere comfortable to rest his head," Richard told the Daily Star.
Eric DeStefano, hotel general manager, released a statement on the event shortly after it occurred, saying that the anteroom of the Presidential suite where Watson was found was not sealed off due to an event that happened that morning.
"[It] is a general-use area for receptions and small events," DeStefano wrote. "The door had been programmed to remain unlocked for an event earlier that day. As soon as the occupant was discovered, he was escorted off the property."
Watson was taken to Allegheny County Jail, where he stayed Wednesday with no ability to post $15,000 bond. He's got a hearing scheduled for Nov. 19 on grounds that he trespassed onto the hotel presmises. He also is facing a theft of services charge, according to court records.
Perhaps Watson just wanted to live lavishly, if only for a few hours. If that was the case, the Omni William Penn Hotel's suite was the correct venue to choose - the Presidential comes complete with a 1,300 square-foot parlor, three bedrooms, twinkling crystal chandeliers and a dining room. The suite also offers a full kitchenette, wet bar and lounge.
