On December 16, 2025, officers from the Mendota Heights Police Department responded to a hotel located on the 1300 block of Northland Drive in Mendota Heights, Dakota County, MN on the report of a hotel guest checking out without paying for his hotel room. Officers arrived and spoke with the hotel manager and the guest, later identified as ERIK AUSTIN WILLIS [DOB REDACTED], the Defendant herein. The manager told officers that the Defendant had been staying at the hotel since November 26, 2025, and had not provided a form of payment.
When the Defendant was leaving, he still did not provide any form of payment. The Defendant had checked in under a false name of Erik Silver and told one hotel employee that he worked for Delta, his luggage and wallet was lost, and Delta was paying for his room. The Defendant told the manager a convoluted story about who was supposed to pay for his room that didn’t make sense. The total for the Defendant’s stay at the hotel was $1,492.20 with tax, and $1,380.00 without tax, which he did not pay for.
The Defendant was placed under arrest. The Defendant has been charged with similar behavior in Hennepin County at a different hotel. (See Court File No: ••-CR-••-••••). The Defendant does not have a current address and is originally from Michigan, as such the State requests a $10,000.00 bench warrant for Minnesota and surrounding states.
