Police follow blood trail to find suspect

CEDAR RAPIDS - Blood led police to a suspect accused of causing damage at a hotel bar in Cedar Rapids.

John Carroll, 27, of Kalispell, Mont., was arrested on suspicion of fifth-degree criminal mischief and public intoxication following the incident at Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, 525 33rd Ave. SW, police said.

Police responded around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday to the hotel after a man punched a display cabinet, causing the glass to break, and ran out the door. Staff had asked the suspect to leave because he was trying to pick fights with others at the bar, police said.

Officers and a K-9 unit dog followed a trail of blood and located Carroll hiding in a bush near the Red Roof Inn hotel. He was taken by ambulance to Mercy Medical Center, where he was treated for cuts to his hands. Upon his release, police took him to the Linn County Jail.