Cops: Woman Made, Nixed 400-Plus Hotel Reservations

Taryn Dixon is accused of booking rooms at Pennsylvania Comfort Suites, then never showing
Posted Apr 11, 2025 7:31 AM CDT
Cops: Woman Made, Nixed 400-Plus Hotel Reservations
Taryn Dixon.   (WHTM)

A Pennsylvania woman found out this week that hotels get kind of peeved if you don't show up after making a reservation. In Taryn Dixon's case, she's now accused of making a whole lot of reservations at a Comfort Suites in Cumberland County—then turning into a no-show, resulting in the hotel losing out on thousands of dollars in income, reports PennLive.com. In fact, per WHTM, the 52-year-old Camp Hill resident allegedly booked more than 400 rooms starting on Jan. 1, with Dixon claiming her purchases were Christmas gifts.

According to a criminal complaint affidavit, Dixon was advised by investigators at the end of January to quit booking rooms anywhere within a 200-mile radius of the borough of Carlisle, but she kept on at it for weeks anyway, per WPMT. Even after she was finally arrested earlier this month, authorities say she made nearly 100 more reservations, breaching conditions of her bail. One of the names she's said to have made a reservation under was that of Carlisle Police Chief Taro Landis, per the complaint; another was allegedly under the name of Merle Ebert, a former county prosecutor who died last year.

Investigators estimate that Dixon's scheme cost the hotel more than $2,000, as the no-show fee it received when Dixon failed to arrive was significantly smaller than if someone had shown up and paid for their reservation in full. She now faces multiple felony charges, including for theft by unlawful taking, unlawful use of a computer, and criminal mischief. Dixon is being held on $102,000 bail at Cumberland County Prison, with a preliminary hearing set for Wednesday. (More weird crimes stories.)

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