Naked Suspect Arrested After Cle Elum Hotel Chaos

Cle Elum police arrested a Renton man Monday night at a hotel after he allegedly pulled wiring out of the walls of his room and melted a TV box in a microwave.

The Ellensburg Daily Record reports 63-year-old Michael Rengstorff also allegedly assaulted officers sent to the Stewart Lodge in response to a 911 hang-up call. Rengstorff reportedly threatened to kill officers and took off all his clothing and began waving his private parts at police.

Get our free mobile app

Officers responded to the hotel on West First Street just after 7 p.m. Memorial day after dispatchers reported a 911 hang-up. The caller cursed at a dispatcher just before hanging up, and when they called back, the worker could not find an immediate issue.

Police found the caller, identified as Rengstorff, and he said he called 911 to see if the hotel impounded his vehicle. Officers observed empty alcoholic beverage containers. A police report says it appeared Rengstorff messed with the phone lines for the room telephone.

Officers left because they did not have probable cause for a crime, but Rengstorff called 911 and hung up several times after and the manager of the hotel asked for his removal.

When police returned, Rengstorff became hostile and started to make death threats, stripped off his clothes, and began hitting the window of the hotel room. The two officers waited for backup and observed Rengstorff going in and out of his second-floor hotel room to yell and make threats before retrating inside.

Rengstorff exited his room and sprinted down the stairs, and police arrested him without further incident. An inspection of his two hotel rooms found a telephone line broken, random items torn out, and damage estimated at more than $1,000.

Officers took Rengstorff to Kitttas Valley Healthcare Hospital and, while at the hospital, he spat on two officers. Police then booked him into Kittitas County Jail where he faces charges of assault, malicious mischief, and felony harassment.