A Florida GOP leader and father allegedly destroyed his hotel room during an alcohol-induced bender as his concerned family, who had not heard from him for days, reported him missing.
George Riley Jr., executive director of the Republican Party of Florida, was reported missing on April 2 to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office after loved ones were unable to reach him for four days.
Investigators later learned that Riley, 43, was kicked out of the Hampton Inn in Kissimmee on April 3 after he trashed his room and cleared out the hotel store’s alcohol, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The party exec — who was found by sheriff deputies two days later — allegedly “urinated and vomited throughout” the hotel room and broke the electrical blinds, according to an Osceola County Sheriff’s Office report obtained by the local publication.
Riley had told his family that he was traveling to Kissimmee for work but then stopped communicating with them on March 29. His sister told the sheriff’s office that he had a medical condition and was taking medication — the specificities of both were redacted.
The local politician had checked into the Hampton Inn a day earlier on March 28 and extended his planned stay the following day. When he tried to extend his stay a second time on April 3, the hotel staff refused over his “extensive drinking and damage caused to the room,” the report said, according to the Times.
The Hampton Inn assistant general manager said Riley had bought so much alcohol from the hotel store that he had to order more to keep up with his frequent purchases, according to the sheriff’s report.
He was forced out and charged extra for a deep cleaning of the puke- and urine-tainted room as well as the broken blinds — which he did not argue with, employees said.
After speaking with the Hampton staff, deputies searching for the missing man checked other hotels in the area and found him at the B Resort and Spa in Lake Buena Vista on Friday, the local paper reported.
“He was located in good health however was under the influence of alcohol,” the investigators wrote in a follow-up report, according to the publication.
Deputies determined that the Republican was not a threat to himself or others and let him walk free.
He was united with his family and later apologized for his behavior in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times.
“I’m deeply sorry. I have been dealing with alcoholism and mental health issues,” Riley told the paper. “I will pay for any damages that were caused. I apologize to the employees for my bad behavior and I will be seeking help soon.”
“I’ll be seeking help so I can be a better father, a better person and a better all-around employee,” he added.
Riley has worked with the Florida GOP since 2008 when he began his career as a field staffer in Tampa.
