The Red Roof Inn in Springfield Township — which a Summit County judge ruled in May is operated in a way that “constitutes a public nuisance” — is going up for auction in July.
The auction of the Red Roof Inn at 2939 S. Arlington Road will take place July 7-9 with a starting bid of $400,000, according to a listing on LoopNet.
What led a Summit County judge to rule against hotel operators?
Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich and the Springfield Township Board of Trustees in April 2024 filed a nuisance complaint against Akron Hotel Suites, the hotel’s operator. In their complaint, the plaintiffs noted that police were called to the hotel more than 1,300 times from 2020 through 2023.
By comparison, the plaintiffs said that in 2021 and 2022, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office responded to seven calls to a Holiday Inn in Green and seven calls to a Residence Inn in Green. Both hotels are less than a mile south of the Red Roof Inn.
On May 13, Summit County Common Pleas Judge Christine Croce ruled Akron Hotel Suites’ operation of the Springfield Township Red Roof Inn “constitutes a public nuisance,” evidenced by its breach of an abatement order that it signed with the court in 2024. The court ruled the hotel must close for one year.
Croce’s May 13 ruling cited the plaintiff’s original complaint in the case, which said Springfield Township police began monitoring activity at the hotel in 2020. The judge’s ruling said township police were called to the hotel 210 times in 2020 “for drug overdoses, suspicious persons, fights or threats, robbery, welfare checks, and other criminal activities.” There were 398 police calls to the hotel in 2021, 366 in 2022 and 333 in 2023, the ruling said.
Following the ruling, the defendants appealed to Ohio’s Ninth District Court of Appeals, according to court records.
John Galonski, chief assistant prosecutor in the civil division of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office, said the prosecutor’s office and the Springfield trustees are working together “to remedy rampant criminal activity” at the hotel at 2939 S. Arlington Road.
A May court document signed by Galonski and Joseph Spoonster, an attorney for the board of trustees, said the hotel “has proven itself to be a magnet for violent crimes, drug activities, and felony activities and a drain on community resources.”
Akron Hotel Suites did not reply to a request for comment on the case.
Judge: Hotel operators breached April 2024 agreement
In trial court, hotel operators agreed to an abatement order in April 2024 by which they would enforce a zero-tolerance policy and “not condone or allow any criminal or drug activity, threats to staff, property, or other guests, excessive or loud noises, damage to property, or other like nuisances” on the property. Registered hotel guests and room occupants who violated these conditions were to be asked to leave.
The agreement said “two incidences involving felony activities” or “three incidences involving misdemeanor activities” in a 60-day period beginning June 1 of that year “shall constitute clear and convincing evidence of a breach” of the agreement.
In the second half of 2024, police responded to 113 calls and 30 medical interventions at the hotel, Croce’s ruling noted.
Among the multiple calls to the hotel during that time was one in November 2024, responding to a report of an unresponsive 1-year-old girl. A New York couple faces life prison terms after being indicted on multiple charges, including rape and felonious assault, for alleged acts committed in a hotel room.
Other calls to the hotel in the second half of 2024 resulted in suspects being charged with felonies, including statutory rape and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor on one day in September; domestic violence, two weeks later in September; and kidnapping, abduction and felony rape on one day in December.
Also in the second half of 2024 were single felony charges of possession of drugs in July, October and November; and felony charges of unlawful restraint and strangulation and misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and resisting arrest on one day in July.
Separate incidents that occurred in the second half of 2024 and didn’t lead to arrests were the recovery of a stolen automobile in August and drug overdoses in September and October.
Between June 1 and Dec. 31, 2024, Springfield Township police identified 27 people that police interacted with at the hotel who were not on the hotel’s registry, despite the defendants agreeing to keep a registry of all hotel “guests and occupants,” Croce’s ruling said. In addition, the judge’s ruling said, hotel operators did not comply with an agreement with the court to replace the driveway asphalt by the end of 2024 and keep the property free of trash and debris.
Continued debate surrounding property seizure, sale; hotel operations
Croce ruled in May that township and county officials are allowed — but not obligated — to seize and sell hotel property at auction and that the proceeds would go toward costs associated with the prosecution’s “abatement and sale of said property and contents.”
Parties to the case have compiled an inventory of hotel items, according to court records.
The defense attorneys also have petitioned the court seeking to reopen the hotel, while plaintiffs’ attorneys are seeking an order for it to remain closed.
Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X @pwilliamsOH. Sign up for the Beacon Journal’s business and consumer newsletter, “What’s The Deal?”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: After more than 1,300 police calls, Red Roof Inn in Springfield Twp. heading to auction
Reporting by Patrick Williams, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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