AKRON, Ohio — The Springfield Township Police Department has filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Red Roof Inn on South Arlington Road in Akron following what it calls "persistent criminal activity" going back several years.
According to Springfield Township Police Chief Jack Simone, the nuisance lawsuit against Akron Hotel Suites LLC comes amid "the alarming frequency of criminal incidents at the Red Roof Inn, including assaults, robberies, drug abuse, and other illicit activities." Those activities, he says, have stretched the department's resources thin, while jeopardizing public safety.
To illustrate his point, Simone reports that his department has had to deal with "an overwhelming number of calls for service at the Red Roof Inn" over the past few years. In 2021, the chief says Springfield Township officers responded to approximately 400 calls for service at the hotel. There were roughly 350 calls for service in 2022 and around 335 last year.
In the lawsuit, filed on Friday in Summit County Common Pleas Court, officials note that by comparison, the Summit County Sheriff's Office (which provides service to the city of Green) only had to respond to seven nuisance calls each at the nearby Holiday Inn and Residence Inn over a two-year period in 2021-22.
Documents in the lawsuit included a 2023 letter sent by Simone to the owner of the hotel, with suggested guest protocols, recommendations for security, plus advice on implementing a zero-tolerance policy.
The lawsuit is calling for the hotel to be declared a public nuisance, subject to abatement. This would enable county and township officials to close the hotel, demolish it, and sell off the furniture.
"As the Chief of Police, I am concerned about the safety and well-being of both our police officers and the guest along with the employees at the Red Roof Inn. Criminal activity and reckless behavior at the hotel puts individuals at risk, in addition has broader implications for the community," Simone added.
You can read the lawsuit below.
