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Transvestite
visitors defraud Warren motel
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| By Norb
Franz, Macomb Daily Staff Writer |
October
25, 2002 |
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| Descriptions
of cross-dressing thieves may be of little help to Warren police
looking for the people responsible for defrauding a motel and
stealing linen. |
Investigators
have attributed at least four crimes -- including a
purse-snatching -- to some of the many transvestites who were in
the area earlier this week for a large gathering of men who enjoy
dressing as women, police said.
"It appears there was a convention for transvestites,"
Warren Detective Cpl. David Madill said.
At least four motels and hotels had cross-dressing out-of-state
guests, police said.
At the Red Roof Inn on Dequindre Road, near Interstate 696, two
men reserved eight rooms for Sunday and Monday. One claimed he was
from Maryland, the other from North Carolina.
After the undetermined number of men using the rooms departed
Tuesday, workers at the motel discovered blankets, pillows and
towels were stolen from two rooms. A bedspread was missing from
one.
Motel officials contacted the two companies whose legitimate
corporate account numbers were used to reserve the rooms, police
said. Representatives of both firms reported they had no employees
using the motel.
The rooms were not damaged and no patrons complained about the
group, said manager Neil Scott. "They were hardly here at
all," he said.
Madill said police don't have a good description of the two men
who booked the rooms.
"They don't necessarily dress in drag all the time," he
said. "We have no positive ID on these guys."
Madill declined to identify the two corporations, saying only both
are "nationally known" companies.
Police and Red Roof Inn management said the motel chain has been
defrauded in other states by cross-dressing guests who didn't pay
for stays after using corporate numbers.
In the other Warren incidents, three men in drag were arrested for
assaulting another transvestite, and another transvestite snatched
a purse from a woman, police said. In the latter incident, the
strong-armed robber tried to use the victim's automated teller
machine card.
A flier recovered from the Red Roof Inn on Dequindre indicated the
weekend gathering was held at a Detroit banquet hall.
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| ŠThe
Macomb Daily 2002 |
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