Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
In a somewhat rare move local authorities have charged Dilip, Navin and Ashok Patel, owners of a local Days Inn with a criminal complaint that they permitted immoral conduct at their Methuen, Massachusetts hotel. According to a report in the Lawrence Eagle Tribune the hotel has been catering to drug usage, permitting minors to drink alcohol and for Prostitution. For nearly a four month period the Methuen Police have filed about twenty complaints at the hotel against various people. Efforts of the authorities to meet with the Patels have been fruitless according to the report. The Methuen police chief went so far as to say that the motel owners will not meet with the police. Here is a summary of some of the incidents alleged to have occurred at the motel recently:
• An underage drinking party in February wherein nine people under the age of twenty one were summonsed into court for a criminal application
• A March prostitution sting following complaints from restaurant customers in the motel. The customers were offered sex for a fee. Investigating the complaint officers set up an undercover operation. They met with two women who offered their sexual services. Both were arrested. During the arrest Cocaine was found in their possession. Criminal charges followed. There is a suggestion that a backpage.com operation has been run out of that establishment
• A baby was delivered at the hotel in a room in April and found dead in the room
• An investigation at the motel disclosed that an individual was using the establishment to Derive Support from a Prostitute (Pimping). The pimp was allegedly Distributing Class E substances as well
• There have been thefts from the bar at the hotel
• There have been fight in the bar resulting in Assault and Battery charges issuing
• There have been arrests made in the motel parking lot for Drug Distribution
• There have been charges of Domestic Assault and Battery filed as a result of incidents at the motel
• There was a death resulting from a drug overdose at the hotel
Read Article:
http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1517686290/Police-Methuen-hotel-a-hotbed-for-criminals
It appears that the district attorney will prosecute this case under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140 Section 26. That law permits the prosecution of anyone who knowingly permits his motel to be used for “immoral solicitation” or “immoral conduct”. A conviction for this charge can result in a one year jail sentence. This crime is a misdemeanor. The defendants’ Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer will likely defend this case by arguing that the defendants did not know what was going on in their motel and that they never permitted that type of conduct. This case will be difficult for the prosecution to win. The fact that the defendants refused to cooperate in the investigation cannot be used as evidence of their intent. It cannot be used as evidence at all. Attributing knowledge to the owners might also be difficult if they were rarely on the premises. This article suggests that the motel was managed by someone other than the owners. That suggests that they had no idea what was happening when these incidents allegedly took place. Getting a conviction for these charges will be difficult if not impossible.
The Law Offices of Stephen Neyman has been defending the accused in cases like this one in Methuen for over twenty years. Call us at 617-263-6800 if you are in trouble. You can also contact us online. We will start your defense immediately.