Possible electrical short? Interior lights issue

I bought a 2001 Villager Estate couple of weeks ago. Well-kept vehicle with 141,000 miles.

Yesterday the interior dome and map lights started staying on after the vehicle was shut off and the doors closed. The owners' manual shows a separate switch to kill all the interior lights but this van doesn't have the switch. When the vehicle is shut off and the doors left ajar, the lights are off. Close the door, they come on. I realise there's a delay but the lights stayed on for upwards of 30 minutes before I disconnected the battery.

Neighbor came over and fiddled around with it....he couldn't figure it out either. Pushing in the little button in the door posts turns the lights on; activating the safety latch on the sliders makes no difference... He wondered if my fiddling with the stereo and loading the CD changer had something to do with it because the security/alarm system may be hooked to the stereo, somehow?

As it is, I had to disconnect the battery so the lights wouldn't kill it....is there a way to turn the dome/map lights off until I can get it to a shop? So I can use it without popping the hood and disconnecting the battery every time I stop.

Thanks!

I don't know if yours is the same as mine but try pushing in on the headlight dial swicth. It should turn off the lights. Check that the tailgate is closed completely. If it is ajar the lights will stay on. I thinkt that may be your issue. if that doesn't help, pull the fuse to the interior lights, that will stop the drain from the lights.

Had the exact same problem. Mine was the passenger side door switch. I went to every door with the key on and watched the light on the dash till it went out or watch the dome light till it goes out, but if the door ajar makes it go out, is it just one door or any door? if it is just one door then maybe the switch is bad?

Banjomaniac