Published: November 17, 2009 12:35 pm      

Man takes hotel clerk hostage in Locust Grove

A man was arrested Tuesday morning after taking a night clerk hostage at the Best Western hotel in Locust Grove. Christian Matthew Musteen, 19, Fort Bragg, N.C., has been booked in to the Mayes County Jail after being arrested for kidnapping. Other charges related to the incident are pending.

Locust Grove Police Chief Nathan Raith said the Locust Grove Police Department received a call of a silent security alarm going off at the Best Western hotel located just off Highway 82 and the Cherokee Turnpike in Locust Grove. When officers responded they could not locate the night clerk. Officers began to check the hotel’s unoccupied rooms and quickly located the armed suspect and the victim.

Negotiations began and within an hour the hostage was released unharmed. Pryor SWAT, who assistated in the standoff, were able to make entry and take down the suspect.

It is unclear if there was the motive for the kidnapping besides the suspect wanting a room at the hotel. Watch for a full story in Wednesday’s The Daily Times.