Littleton man starts trash fire at Trump hotel, denies it was political

Associated Press

May. 25, 2017, 7:36 a.m.

Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. (Steve Jurvetson/Flickr/CC)

LAS VEGAS — A 28-year-old tourist from Colorado has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge after he became the second person in less than a month to be accused of starting a fire at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

Jacob Matthew Dezsi’s court-appointed lawyer, Alexander Hubert, said a felony arson charge was dismissed after Dezsi pleaded guilty Wednesday to malicious destruction of property.

Dezsi lives in Littleton, Colorado. Hubert says the judge ordered him released from jail after five days behind bars and sentenced him to perform 50 hours of community service.

Las Vegas police say Dezsi told investigators he wasn’t making a political statement when he set fire to a paper towel last Thursday and dropped it in a restroom trash can near the hotel lobby.

Hotel staff members quickly extinguished the fire.

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Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. (Steve Jurvetson/Flickr/CC)