Arsonist Causes $100,000 Damage To LaQuinta Inn: Shorewood PD

SHOREWOOD — Last Thursday's late morning fire on the third floor of Shorewood's LaQuinta Inn caused more than $100,000 damage to the building and was intentionally set by one of the guests, Courtni Gorman, a 31-year-old Lockport woman, court documents show.

Shorewood's Police Department had Gorman arrested on April 25, the date of the fire. She faces five charges from the Will County State's Attorney of Jim Glasgow: aggravated arson, arson, criminal damage to property, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, which was cocaine and obstructing identification.

According to her criminal complaint, Gorman knowingly damaged the LaQuinta Inn at 19715 NE Frontage Road in Shorewood on April 25 and Gorman "knew or reasonably should have known that one or more persons were present."

According to the arson charges:

At 11:26 a.m. on April 25, Shorewood police responded to the four-story hotel that opened three years ago. Inside, Room 324 was fully engulfed with flames.

"Fortunately, the sprinkler system activated and the Troy Fire Department response was rapid," prosecutors informed the judge.

Arson investigators found four different points of origin for the fire: the bathroom, the bed, the couch and under the air conditioning unit and burns patterns did not connect, prompting the investigators to realize the fire was intentional, court documents show.

A police dog alerted authorities to the presence of an accelerant. Meanwhile, the manager of the LaQuinta Inn told Shorewood police that 48 rooms were being rented out by guests at the time of the blaze, including both of the rooms adjacent to Room 324, plus the rooms directly below and above Room 324.

Shorewood police learned that Room 324 was rented out for just one night, on April 24, by Gorman and a room. Just prior to the fire, LaQuinta security video captured footage of Gorman entering her room at 10:39 a.m., exit at 11:05 a.m. and place a suitcase outside, re-enter at 11:23 a.m. and walk away with her suitcase, court documents note.

The hotel's fire alarm went off three minutes later and Shorewood police found Gorman in the parking lot, sitting on a sidewalk curb. She gave the officer a false name, Cassie Smith, and denied setting the hotel on fire, claiming she was there waiting for a ride, court documents state.

Shorewood police reviewed the hallway video surveillance cameras and realized that no one else entered or exited Room 324 for at least 45 minutes prior to the fire alarm. Police also seized a pint size bottle of vodka from Gorman's possessions and more than 1 gram of cocaine, court documents reflect.

"The people pray that this honorable court deny the defendant pretrial date," the State's Attorney filing declared.

Gorman was just in the Will County Jail, April 14-16, after being arrested and charged in Will County with the crime of domestic battery. Will County Sheriff's deputies made that arrest, jail logs show.

In that case, Gorman is accused of using a glass bottle to strike a man, causing him to bleed. Also in that attack, Gorman ran into the kitchen, turned on the stove and lit a napkin on fire, putting the napkin on the carpet outside the man's bedroom, prosecutors outlined.

"She did admit drinking and hitting with the bottle, claiming she needed to," Assistant State's Attorney Frank Byers informed the judge.

Given the details of both of her pending crimes, a Will County judge ruled that Gorman needs to remain in the Will County Jail indefinitely under the SAFE-T-Act in connection with the fire inside the LaQuinta Inn.

Shorewood Deputy Police Chief Jason Barten said it's his understanding the LaQuinta Inn has remained open, despite the fire. However, the smoke and water damage caused by the fire was significant, and that's caused a number of hotel rooms to remain off-limits to guests.

Jail records indicate that Gorman comes from the 2100 block of Lockport's Fairview Avenue.