Man allegedly hits hotel sprinklers with hammer while on drugs, floods Orem hotel room
OREM, Utah (ABC4) — An American Fork man was arrested on March 1 after he allegedly flooded a hotel room while under the influence of several drugs, according to an affidavit of probable cause from Utah County.
Arrest documents say Shane Dee Laursen, 48, was arrested for three different offenses: Causing a catastrophe, driving under the influence and property damage/destruction over $5,000.
READ NEXT: Woman sues Salt Lake County over ‘untimely death’ of her husband while in custody
The different charges stem from the damage caused to an Orem hotel room where Laursen was staying, which was flooded after he allegedly hit the sprinkler system with a hammer. Documents say the flooding damaged his second-floor hotel room — as well as other parts of the first and second floors — and caused more than $5,000 in damages.
After he was taken into custody, officers reported that they tested Laursen’s blood and urine. His urine tested positive for methamphetamines, amphetamines and THC, arrest documents say.
Because of those positive drug test results, he is facing one charge of driving under the influence because he reportedly left the hotel after he saw water collecting in his hotel room and was not at the scene when police showed up, the affidavit says.
MORE: Man arrested in Colorado in connection to shooting of teenager in Murray
Police arrived at the Orem hotel around 3 a.m. after fire officials requested help from officers, documents say. A hotel employee told police he heard “the sound of water pouring” in a room on the second floor, the statement says.
That employee gave the master key to fire officials, who then checked the room and saw that the sprinkler system’s glass was “destroyed” and the smoke detector was gone, as stated in the affidavit.
Police inspected the room later and noticed that it was flooded with water and that the glass from the sprinkler system was not intact in that room, but was intact in other sprinkler systems, according to the affidavit.
While officers were on the scene, they report that they “took over contact” with Laursen when he called the hotel and said he was the guest in the damaged room before asking if the room was fixed.
While on the phone, Laursen reportedly told officers he used a hammer to hit the sprinkler system before he left the hotel, documents say. Officers asked Laursen to return to the hotel and he said he would, as stated in the affidavit.
According to the probable cause statement, Laursen told police officers “he hit the sprinkler system with a hammer because he was going to sleep.” He also reportedly told police that he hit the sprinkler system in his hotel room because he “did not know what it was.”
As for the smoke alarm, documents say Laursen told officers he “disassembled the smoke alarm because he was going to sleep.”
Laursen is facing a charge relating to causing a catastrophe because of the damage caused by the flood, according to the affidavit. He was arrested and taken to the Utah County Jail.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
