Pranks Cause Damage To Tri-Cities Hotel And Restaurant

Johnson City Assistant Fire Chief Mark Finucane said a prank at the Comfort Suites Hotel in Johnson City last Friday night caused between $15,000 and $20,000 damage. He said someone pretending to be with a fire alarm company called and convinced an employee to activate the sprinkler system. The same prank recently happened at the waffle house in Kingsport.
“It’s a vicious prank, its phone vandalism,“ said Finucane.
Finucane said the prank is happening in other parts of the country as well. While only two Tri-Cities businesses have been targeted so far, word is spreading fast.
“We’re definitely monitoring the phone to make sure that it doesn’t happen here,“ said Sam McGill, Jameson Inn General Manager.
He said every employee who answers the phones has been warned about any calls that may be suspicious. McGill said he understands how devastating this kind of prank could be to a business.
“It would take months, it would take months to clear everything out and redo everything, not including the water damage that you would have to pull up, the carpet and the walls,“ McGill said.
If you have any information that can help fire investigators in this case, call Crime Stoppers at 423-434-6158.