Clock ticking for Springfield Twp. hotel to address litany of complaints – Akron Beacon Journal

• Police were called out to Quality Inn 157 times during first nine months of in 2022.
• Drug overdoses, assault, human trafficking among most serious complaints investigated at site,
• Attorney for owner Hexagon Properties says company complying with plan to eradicate nuisances.

The Springfield Township Quality Inn has until Feb. 23 to make extensive safety and security changes at the hotel after an agreement was reached last week in Summit County Common Pleas Court.

Activity at the Arlington Road hotel has been on township trustees' radar for years and is a frequent source of calls to the Springfield Township Police Department. In 2022, police were called out to respond to concerns at the inn 157 times through Sept. 23, with 27 of those calls related to drug overdoses.

On Jan. 16, the township and Summit County Prosecutor's Office filed a civil complaint against owner Hexagon Properties and operator Vinesh Patadia, alleging the hotel had become the site of “rampant criminal activities.”

In the agreement, Hexagon agreed to comply with a series of changes at the Quality Inn or face further court action.

What the complaint says

Township police have been monitoring the hotel since 2020, cataloging a host of violations, including “public intoxication, disorderly conduct, assault, drug possession, trafficking and use (along with drug overdoses), and sex offenses.”

In October 2020, for instance, police responding to a call from the hotel found a 25-year-old man shot in the arm and hip. An 18-year-old man was charged in the shooting.

Township trustee Dean Young said Thursday that criminal activity surrounding the hotel has even included hotel staff.

“We had a task force that ended up in a conviction of a hotel clerk for promoting prostitution,” the trustee said.

The former hotel employee, according to court documents, was indicted for his role in running a prostitution ring that used hotel facilities. The investigation was conducted by the Ohio attorney general, the Summit County Sheriff's Office and the Summit County Human Trafficking Task Force.

The nuisance complaint lists several dates last year when township police were called to the hotel on drug-related concerns. In the most recent incident listed, in September, a hotel guest was found with 16 grams of marijuana, 56 grams of methamphetamine, a scale and a loaded 9 mm handgun.

Patadia, according to court documents, formerly ran the Ranch Motel in Cuyahoga Falls, which was the subject of nuisance complaints in 2006 and 2008 for illegal activities.

A drain on police resources, concern for Quality Inn guests

Young said the complaint was filed in part because the Quality Inn had become a drain on police time and resources.

“From beginning to end, it's a safety issue,” he said. “We were concerned at the high level of serious crimes we were called to that facility to deal with. That's a very heavy commitment of police resources.”

But the welfare of residents and out-of-town guests was the primary concern, he said.

“Based on its history, I was every bit as concerned about the family on vacations passing through Akron staying the night at that hotel,” he said.

What the agreed abatement order requires

The agreement reached Tuesday requires Hexagon Properties to implement a host of improvements to the hotel's operations to be completed by late next month. Two counts in the civil complaint were dismissed as part of the deal.

Guests will have to be 21, provide a credit card and a valid photo ID, and complete a registration form with their complete name, address, phone number and license plate number of vehicles parked in the hotel lot.

In addition, Hexagon will be required to add a number of security measures and restructure its hiring policies. Violation of the agreement's terms could lead to a declaration that the hotel is a public nuisance. Starting Feb. 23, two felony incidents at the hotel within a 90-day period would also be considered a violation of the agreement.

In a prepared statement, J. Alex Quay, an attorney representing Patadia, said he believes measures in the agreement will enhance changes already being made at the hotel and address the concerns of township officials.

“We believe these improved safety measures and renewed cooperation efforts between the Township and hotel will continue serve the parties' mutual goals of promoting safety and reducing drug and criminal activity in the Springfield community,” Quay said in the statement.

The prosecutor's office declined to comment because of its policy on open cases.

John Galonski, chief assistant prosecutor for the civil division, told Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland the complaint was filed to spur changes at the hotel.

“Our goal is to make the property a safe place for the people who decide to come and stay there and also safe for the community,” Galonski said.

Young said the agreement requires changes that may be difficult to implement, given the hotel's recent history.

“I think it's probably a question mark as to whether they are going to be able to abide by the agreement,” Young said in a phone interview Thursday.

Failure of previous efforts

In March 2021, according to court documents, township police and officials discussed their concerns with Patadia, suggesting changes that could forestall court action.

“On March 11, 2021, Police Captain Denise Moore, Officers Michael Roberts and Shawn Brady, the Township Board of Trustees and Township Administrator Ted Weinsheimer met with Patadia to discuss the problems created by the Hotel,” the document reads. “The Township expressed its concerns to Patadia that the Hotel had become a nuisance, by generating a significant number of service calls and consuming inordinate levels of resources.”

But the result was an increase in the number of police calls about activities around the hotel — from 195 in 2020 to 231 in 2021.

“We met with the hotel owner and reviewed the statistics and indicated to him that he would have to adopt some procedures for security,” Young said. “He didn't do it. Now, there is a detailed requirement if he wants to continue to operate.”

Young said the township tries to work with businesses in the community, and court action isn't its preferred response. In this case, however, the township had little recourse, he said.

“We're not in the business of trying to shut down business unless there's a serious problem — and this hotel presented a serious problem to the safety of the community,” he said. “I consider this business to be on probation.”

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.