By Perry Schaible
Enquirer contributor

FAIRFIELD -- Frequent reports of criminal activity have officials here anxious to turn out the lights on the Capri Motel.

Law Director John Clemmons filed suit in the Butler County Common Pleas Court against the motel, 3256 Dixie Highway (Ohio 4), calling the business a nuisance and seeking an order closing it.

"The nature of the nuisance is prostitution-related activities and felony drug-related offenses," Clemmons said Friday.

The suit, filed March 29, includes a police affidavit and details more than two dozen arrests at the motel over the last two years, including for possession of crack cocaine, drug trafficking and prostitution, and said Fairfield police had 170 calls to the motel from July 1, 2003, through Dec. 31, 2003, alone.

"An inordinate amount of the resources of the Fairfield Police Department go to the Capri Motel in an attempt to maintain public peace and health," stated Sgt. Kevin Rednour.

Clemmons said the complaint is a nuisance abatement action allowed by state law.

It requests the motel be closed temporarily until a final decision is made. Clemmons said the motel has 30 to 40 rooms and has changed ownership several times.

Lalit and Tara Patel are the current property owners. Tara declined to comment on the suit.

Defense attorney Lance Weinrich, of Middletown, also had no comment on the case.

Tom Laming runs his business, Laming and Rogers, Inc. out of the building directly behind the motel.

The contracting company doesn't have walk-in business and is therefore unaffected by the motel, Laming said, but he has seen unusual activity there.

"It's just some of the clientele that he has is questionable. We are his neighbors and I try to stay neutral," Laming said.

"The problem arises with all the nuisance calls that the city of Fairfield police get."

Laming said he hasn't seen any negative behavior lately at the motel, but has noticed "an awful lot of traffic coming in and out of one room" in the past.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 20 before Judge Michael Sage.