2 men cleared after 3rd admits to Chicago high-rise flood

CHICAGO (AP) - Two suburban Chicago men have been cleared of charges in connection with a flood at a high-rise hotel that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of damage.

A Cook County judge threw out criminal damage to property charges against Carl Koenemann and Daniel Maradei on Wednesday after a third co-defendant pleaded guilty. Benjamin Nitch was sentenced to two years of probation and 480 hours of community service.

The three friends were accused of opening a water valve in a fifth-floor stairwell at the Trump International Hotel and Tower last February. Prosecutors alleged the men were angry after a hotel bartender refused to continue serving them drinks.

Prosecutors said water rushed down a stairwell, destroying two elevators, damaging marble floor in the lobby and causing $700,000 in damage.