A Man Pulled A Wizard's Wand On An Armed Hotel Employee & Now He's Facing Assault Charges
He made it himself ⚡🪄
Mugshot of Skylar Thomas. Right: Someone holding a wooden wand.
A man is facing assault and trespassing charges for a not-so-magical incident at a Minnesota hotel last weekend, where police say he pulled a wizard's wand on an armed hotel employee.
Skylar Eros Dupree Thomas, 29, is facing multiple charges including second and fifth-degree assault, trespassing, and theft after the altercation at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota, jail records show.
The suspect, who already had a trespass notice, entered the hotel last Friday and allegedly tried to take used room keys out of a bowl, local broadcaster KSTP reports. Staff asked him to leave but he became aggressive and started shouting slurs, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the broadcaster.
One employee, whom police say had a permit for a concealed firearm, followed the suspect out of the hotel and then saw him pull out something metallic. It was 16 inches long with a "hard, pointed metal part at the end," according to the complaint.
Police say the employee thought it was a knife and felt threatened, so the employee drew his concealed firearm. The suspect then kicked over a garbage can and ran away while the staffer called the police, according to the complaint.
Thomas later admitted that he had made a "wizard's wand" out of a stick, the complaint said.
Although it wasn't exactly clear what type of wand he had, we're pretty sure a Harry Potter spell-like "expelliarumus" wouldn't have done much harm in this case.
Thomas was arrested but granted a conditional release with a hearing set for May 19.
He faces a potential $2,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail if convicted.
This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.