Woman facing charges for letting people stay at hotel for free

BLOOMINGTON -- The road to jail can be paved with good intentions. A woman who was a hotel employee said she felt sorry for the homeless so she made pass keys so they’d have a place to stay, a Bloomington police report said.

The incident was discovered by another employee shortly after 3 a.m. Friday at the Clarion Hotel, 1219 Holiday Drive, a Bloomington police report said. He found people in a hot tub and discovered five rooms not rented were occupied by about 20 people.

The rest of the people, whom the woman claimed were mostly homeless, were issued criminal trespass warnings and ordered to leave. The woman said more rooms were occupied than she made pass keys for.

The only person taken to McLean County Jail early Friday morning was the woman. She faces formal charges Saturday in court relating to theft of labor and services and criminal damage, McLean County Jail records said.

Items damaged or otherwise affected by the illegal stay were four closet doors, three air vents, a plastic plant, three microwaves, a mini refrigerator, a comforter and three bottles of liquor.