Police Close Relax Inn
An East Nashville motel that serves as a hangout for prostitutes and drug dealers is being shutdown and padlocked under a court order sought by Metro police and the District Attorney's Office.The Relax Inn, 1501 Dickerson Pike, has been declared a public nuisance in a temporary injunction issued by Criminal Court Judge Steve Dozier. Judge Dozier's order provides that all rooms are to be padlocked, and prohibits the owners and operators of the motel, Makesh and Rekha Zaveri, from going anywhere on the property except their residence. The temporary injunction directs police officers to search the premises, including each room and the Zaveri residence, for evidence of criminal activity relating to the promotion of prostitution and/or the possession of controlled substances. The order also directs officers to remove all guests from the motel, and provides that the District Attorney's Office may use funds (to be recovered later during court proceedings) to refund the registration fees of duly registered and bona fide guests.
A two-year investigation by East Precinct patrol officers and Vice Division detectives found that the owners of the motel maintained what amounted to a house of prostitution that facilitated the distribution and sale of illegal drugs. The investigation found that the owners knew prostitutes were going to guests' rooms, and, in turn, would charge a higher rate. During the period of January 1, 2002 to January 25, 2004, Metro police responded to 514 calls at the motel for such matters as prostitution, illegal drug activity, robberies, fights, disorderly persons, domestic disturbances, thefts and suspicious persons. During that two-year period, a total of 185 persons were charged with various criminal offenses as a result of increased police efforts to combat the dangerous, illegal and obnoxious activities at the Relax Inn. Moreover, the police department has received numerous complaints from area businesses and residents about the goings on at the motel. East Precinct police supervisors even met with the owners last August to offer crime prevention advice and suggestions on how to get rid of the criminal activity. Nevertheless, the problems have continued into 2004.
"The families and businesses in the area have had to put up with this place long enough," Chief Ronal Serpas said. "The fact that the dope dealing and prostitution went on so close to Schwab Elementary School sickens me. This community will be safer by what we're doing here today."
Serpas and District Attorney Torry Johnson thanked the area businesses and neighborhood associations for working with the police department to build the nuisance case against the motel.
"This is an establishment that was clearly put on notice to clean up its act, yet those warnings went by the wayside," Johnson said. "Unfortunately it took a padlocking order to convey to the ownership here that we are very serious about the prostitution and drug dealing coming to an end."
Police activity at the Relax Inn during the past several months includes the following:
- March 13, 2003: An undercover officer bought two grams of crack cocaine from a man who had just exited one of the Relax Inn's rooms. More crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia were found in the room. Three persons were charged.
- July 10, 2003: An undercover officer bought crack cocaine from a woman in front of one of the motel rooms. More crack cocaine was found in the room she had exited. Four persons were charged.
- July 31, 2003: An undercover officer bought crack cocaine from a man who retrieved it from one of the motel rooms. Two persons were charged.
- October 17, 2003: An undercover officer solicited the sale of crack cocaine from a man standing outside the motel. The man directed the officer to one of the rooms, where the sale took place. A woman in the room was solicited for prostitution. She readily agreed. Three persons were charged.
- January 16, 2004: A police informant renting a room at the motel told owner Rekha Zaveri that he was going to have a prostitute come to his room, but that she would not spend the night. Zaveri warned the informant that the prostitute was not to visit every day, and that if she spent the night, he would have to pay extra.
- January 21, 2004: A police informant who had already rented a room went to the office and asked Makesh Zaveri how much extra he would have to pay if a prostitute came to his room and spent the night. Makesh Zaveri said to speak to his wife. Rekha Zaveri charged the informant an extra $20, and warned him to have one woman in the room at a time and to not disturb the other customers. One of the two prostitutes standing outside the office window then accompanied the informant to his room.
- January 26, 2004: A police informant who had already rented a room went to the office and asked Makesh Zaveri how much extra he would have to pay if a prostitute came to his room and spent the night. The agreed on price was $20. The informant met a prostitute in the motel's parking lot. She came to the informant's room and also sold him four small rocks of crack cocaine.
The Relax Inn is to remain closed pending a hearing and further orders of Judge Dozier. The Metro Codes Department and the Fire Marshal will be inspecting the property for any safety violations.
The police department and the District Attorney's Office are committed to working with community and neighborhood groups throughout Nashville to make a difference in the lives of citizens by helping eliminate crime and business practices that promote criminal activity.
The Relax Inn was closed as a public nuisance
Officers padlocked each of the rooms pursuant to a court order
Mike Servais of the Salvation Army, which has a branch office near the motel,
voices support for the operation. The Salvation Army was on stand-by to
help arrange housing for innocent persons displaced by the padlocking order.
Officers added the "CLOSED" notation on the motel's sign before
leaving