One of two Blackhawk Hotel arson suspects arrested -QCTimes
From the article it sounds like both of the suspects are pretty much career scumbags. The second suspect, who is still at large, apparently crashed a portable meth lab into a phone poll last summer in Kewanee. There seem to be a lot of meth-related incidents down there. The younger female accomplice was arrested this morning in Joplin on unrelated charges... another winner.
I am pretty curious to know how Blackhawk/IOC employees didn't smell a meth operation in their own building, but there could be reasons. Its possible they hadn't started cooking yet or they had some kind of high-powered exhaust system. I'm also curious about their statements about being booked full the night after the fire, which a number of people have questioned on the blogs. I don't see why it would be in their interest to lie about that, but it seemed strange to go from 14 rooms occupied to all of them in one night.
3 comments:
The Isle of Capri people lie? How dare you.
It makes good sense to claim the hotel was booked. It plays the hotel as the victim, loss of business coverage, etc. If that hotel was booked you would expect others such as the Radisson and IOC-Bettendorf would be booked, but statements said displaced guests went to those hotels. I do not know anything that would have been a draw to the Blackhawk in mid-February to book the hotel.
It is in the IOC's best interest to put the most viable face on a property that they want to pawn off to "Momentumville" in the next few years. Bet on the most damaged rooms not being repaired,and insurance proceeds pocketed.
The answer to why the Blawkhawk could be booked and the others not is easy. Most of the hotel rooms in each of IOC's rooms are given out as free "comps" to gamblers.
This was one of the arguments against the new IOC hotel, as complimentary hotel rooms don't send money towards the hotel/motel tax. I think there was a deal worked out where IOC would throw some money the city's way for each guest, free or not. But knowing them, maybe not.
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