A motel in Ohio has been temporarily closed after a 156-page complaint filed by the city alleged it was an “epicenter of continuous and substantial criminal activity.”
The Knights Inn of Franklin was shuttered by police after a court granted a request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the property, WCPO news reported. For years the motel allegedly served as a hub for criminal activity, including illegal drug use, prostitution and theft — creating what the city called “a serious, hazardous public nuisance,” the outlet stated.
‘Serious, hazardous public nuisance’: Knights Inn motel temporarily closed for ‘substantial criminal activity’ https://t.co/X7yTUC1sM0
— WCPO 9 (@WCPO) January 26, 2023
Franklin, a relatively small city of roughly 11,700 people, found that its police and fire resources were considerably strained because of the frequent emergency calls to the Knights Inn. Since 2019, there have been 520 such calls, the outlet reported. Over that same period, almost the same number of emergency calls came from all three of the other hotels in Franklin combined. (RELATED: Police Look For Help After Man Found Strangled, Handcuffed And Tied Up In Hotel Room)
The city sent a letter to the motel and its parent company, Skylight Motels LLC, on Jan. 13 about the on-going issues at the property and offered assistance in addressing those issues. When both Skylight and the local Knights Inn failed to respond within the requested seven days, the complaint was filed and the motel shut down.
Shawn Campbell works at the business complex next door to the Knights Inn and while he said he had never been personally affected by the alleged activity at the hotel, he states it does have a reputation.
“There was always something going on up there,” he told the outlet. “You make sure your vehicles are locked, you remind employees to keep their surroundings known.”
The case is scheduled to go before the court Jan. 31.