“There’s been a number of calls for service over the years that have just really caused us great concerns,” Althouse said. “We’re spending a lot of resources to keep up with that one location.”
The defendants named in the lawsuit are Timothy Tye and Shivaay LLC. A representative for the hotel could not be reached.
The city said it has been dealing with the Knights Inn, located at 7575 Poe Avenue, for years, and it has become increasingly problematic in terms of multiple calls for service due to illegal activities, prompting this action.
The city has also filed for a temporary restraining order against the business, asking that it cease operating immediately. Althouse said that if management of the hotel is not willing to comply with the city, they ultimately might have to shut down.
Althouse also said that someone who had stayed at the hotel reported to the city that phones had been removed from the rooms at the Knights Inn.
“That’s a big concern for me, if someone is in a room and they’re having a medical emergency or they’re having a situation where they need a police officer to respond and they don’t have the ability to call 911 and they don’t have a mobile device, they gotta go to the front desk and the management determines who they call, that’s a serious concern,” Althouse said. “To me, that doesn’t show a willingness to cooperate with their customers.”
The lawsuit states that “as of February 2020, the Vandalia Police Department has responded to hundreds of calls concerning the Property, resulting in incidents including, but not limited to, disorderly conduct, felony drug activity, drug overdose requiring the administration of Narcan, and felony sex offenses.”
The complaint was filed on Aug. 4, and the temporary restraining order was filed on Aug. 5.
The city believes that the Knights Inn has been used for trafficking, possessing or abusing controlled substances and “conduct associated lewdness, assignation, or prostitution,” which constitutes a nuisance as defined by Ohio Revised Code.
In a signed affidavit attached to the complaint, Althouse said that in his professional opinion, police continuing to enter the motel knowing what kind of illegal activity goes on there “could create an unnecessary and unacceptable degree of risk to life and limb of the officers involved, bystanders, and the surrounding neighborhood.”
“This has been ongoing for a period of time. We always reach out to management, we offer resources, we offer suggestions, we offer crime prevention information” Althouse said. “Our hope is that they recognize that this is a serious issue, this is a serious strain on city resources, and they take the corrective action.
About the Author
