Man Barricades Himself Inside a Hotel’s IT Room, Destroys Computers With a Hammer
At around 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Missoula Police Officers responded to The Inn on Broadway for a male who locked himself in the hotel’s information technology room and was destroying things while inside. When officers arrived, they heard a male yelling and violently throwing things inside the room. Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh explains.
“The officers arrived and they found that the door to the room had been barricaded shut,” Welsh said. “They established a dialog with the male who was identified as 31-year-old Cody Mize. Initially, Mr. Mize had a hammer in his possession. However, when he learned that there were police officers outside the door, he did put it down.”
Officers opened the door a few inches and they were able to convince Mize to come out of the room. Welsh said Mize was compliant with officers when they initially placed him into custody.
“However, they noted that he appeared to be sweating profusely, was acting erratically, and that he may have been suffering from a condition known as excited delirium,” Welsh said. “Concerned for his welfare, officers transferred Mr. Mize to the hospital where he was examined and subsequently released. At that point, he was transported to the Missoula County Detention Center.”
While officers walked Mize to a patrol car, Mize began pushing back against officers. Mize then refused to enter their patrol vehicle, requiring one officer to pull Mize in from one side while another officer pushed from the other. Mize continued to struggle and fight against the officer’s attempts.
Court documents indicate an officer reviewed the damage to the hotel’s IT room, which included extensive damage to computer components. The hotel’s phone and internet services were disabled. As a result, the hotel could not book guests or accommodate existing guests. Officers estimated the loss to be well in excess of $1,500.
Mize was charged with felony criminal mischief and resisting arrest.