Illinois Man Arrested in Audrain after Setting Comforter on Fire and Assaulting Victim

An Illinois man is in the Audrain County Jail after police say he set a comforter on fire and assaulted a person at a Mexico hotel Thursday morning.

Police say that a victim reported Edwin Javier Mejia-Espinosa was acting erratically, stole the victim’s cell phone, put the victim in a chokehold, and dragged them through the parking lot before the victim escaped and called authorities. Officers later located Mejia-Espinosa at a nearby business, where he had allegedly took a customer’s car keys, and arrested him without incident.

He’s being held without bond and faces multiple charges, including assault, knowingly burning or exploding, property damage, and tampering.