A 32-year-old woman was arrested in Ocala after she refused to leave a hotel room that she reserved but did not pay for.
On Saturday, September 16, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal and two deputies responded to the Sleep Inn and Suites located at 13600 SW 17th Court in Ocala. Upon arrival, they made contact with an employee/reportee who advised that a woman, identified in the MCSO report as Diamond Katedra Voncile Dukes, had reserved a room and checked in shortly after 9:15 p.m. the previous night.
The reportee stated that Dukes’ credit card was declined, and another employee made contact with Dukes and told her that the transaction did not go through. Dukes allegedly told the employee that she would “pay for it in the morning,” according to the MCSO report.
The employee informed Dukes that she would need to pay for the room prior to spending the night. According to the reportee, Dukes never paid that employee for the room.
By the time the reportee arrived at the hotel to start their shift, the reportee was informed by a co-worker that Dukes was “barricading herself in the room” and “refusing to pay.” The reportee advised that four attempts were made to contact Dukes, but she refused to pay for the room and began hanging up on subsequent phone calls, according to the MCSO report.
The corporal, deputies, and reportee responded to the room that Dukes was staying in. The reportee knocked on the door and informed Dukes that she was no longer welcome there due to not paying for the room. The MCSO report stated that Dukes eventually got off the couch and came to the door.
One of the deputies asked Dukes multiple times for her identification, and she “gave the runaround” without providing the requested information. Dukes was then advised by the deputy that a criminal investigation was being conducted regarding the theft of services and depriving an innkeeper, and she still refused to provide the requested information to law enforcement, according to the MCSO report.
The corporal began to detain Dukes in handcuffs, and the MCSO report stated that she actively resisted by pulling away from the corporal. She was escorted down to the couch where she was eventually secured in handcuffs. She was then led out of the hotel room and into the back of a patrol car.
After being read her Miranda rights, Dukes stated that she had been drinking, and she later admitted that she did not have the money to pay for the hotel room, according to the MCSO report.
The corporal noted in the report that the value of the hotel room for the duration of Dukes’ stay was $198.69.
Dukes was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $2,000 bond. She is facing misdemeanor charges for defrauding an innkeeper with a loss value under $1,000 and resisting an officer without violence.
A court date has been scheduled at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 27, according to jail records.