Guest pepper-sprayed DeLand hotel hallway because of noise that would not let him sleep

A charter bus driver who complained to a DeLand hotel's staff that he could not sleep because of noise coming from an upstairs room pepper-sprayed the hallway outside the room leading to the evacuation of more than 100 guests over the weekend, police said.

Daniel Young, 59, of Hollywood, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief of more than $1,000, and possession of a weapon by a convicted in-state felon. Volusia County Branch Jail records show he was released on his own recognizance after spending two days behind bars.

The incident occurred Friday at 8:56 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at 180 Fenway Drive in south DeLand, police said.

Guests experienced breathing problems and some came out of the building coughing. One person was taken to the hospital, a police report states.

More than 100 guests were evacuated because of the smell that had guests experiencing respiratory problems, police said. More than 15 emergency vehicles and three police vehicles responded to the hotel, according to an arrest report.

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Pepper spray found near elevator

The DeLand Fire Department located an orange chemical near the elevators on the second floor which they identified as pepper spray, investigators said.

A hotel maintenance worker escorted investigators to a second-floor room where they viewed surveillance video. In the video footage they saw a man, later identified as Young, dressed in a Florida Tours company shirt, spraying an orange chemical all over the hallway floor, police said.

A hotel employee recognized Young and identified him as a charter bus driver who transported a baseball team to DeLand, the report states.

Pepper-sprayed upstairs hallway to stop guest's noise

Police located Young in a large white charter bus in the parking lot of the hotel.

Young said he complained to the hotel staff about the noise but it did not stop. So, he pepper-sprayed the second-floor hallway in hopes it would irritate the second-floor room guest and stop the noise, police wrote in the report.

Young then threw the pepper spray canister behind the hotel, which police found sticking out of the sandy ground, investigators said.