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LIBERTY -- Police officers and firefighters from the township were able to rescue a man who had been found on the upper ledges of the Baymont Quality Inn Hotel, 4055 Belmont Ave., in an attempt to escape a fire in his room.
He then was taken to the Trumbull County jail.
Michael Terrell, 42, whose address was listed on North St. Clair Avenue in Girard, is charged with inducing panic and arson. In the police report, Terrell told the officers he liked fire trucks.
On Wednesday, Terrell pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of criminal mischief and was credited for five days served in jail and ordered to pay court costs and undergo a mental health evaluation.
Terrell was released from jail on Wednesday, records show.
Patrons at the hotel helped direct officers to the man who had safely descended down the exterior of the building from floor to floor, according to the report. The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday.
Liberty Fire Department personnel arrived shortly after to provide a ladder for the man to climb from the first-floor balcony.
The man was identified as Terrell, who told officers he had barricaded the door in room 427 from the inside and climbed out the window because an unknown person was trying to kick in the door. Terrell, however, could not identify the person or provide a description or why he wanted to kick the door.
Terrell later admitted to officers he tried to get the fire alarm to go off in order to evacuate the motel. He said he used a lighter to set afire a notepad to try to activate the alarm. The man, who told officers they could find the lighter on the bed in his hotel room, said he probably imagined someone trying to kick in the door.