Fort Worth sues East Lancaster motel alleging owner tolerated crime for years
The city of Fort Worth is asking a Tarrant County court to declare an East Lancaster Avenue motel a common nuisance, and force its ownership to fix what the city alleges are years of persistent criminal activity.
According to a civil suit filed on June 29, the city alleges the owner of the Central Motel at 5800 E. Lancaster Ave. knowingly tolerated criminal activity on the property for years.
The city is asking the court to order Central Motel owner Haribhai Narsionhdas Patel to take steps to reduce criminal activity, improve management practices, and increase security, according to a city press release.
“Chronic criminal activity that threatens our neighborhoods will not be ignored,” City Manager Jay Chapa said in the city press release
Property owners have a responsibility to make sure their properties don’t become places where crime regularly occurs, and the city will use every legal tool at its disposal to hold property owners accountable, Chapa said.
Representatives for the Central Motel did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Star-Telegram.
The motel has had multiple building code violations and health code violations, according to city data.
The city is suing under a state statute that focuses mainly criminal activity to have the Central Motel classified as a common nuisance under state law.
The city’s complaint chronicles years of alleged criminal activity, including narcotics offenses, prostitution, a weapons case, and one reported homicide.
In addition to the nuisance declaration and ordering owner Patel to stop the alleged criminal activity, the city is also asking the court to potentially appoint a court manager to oversee the fixes, and order the motel closed for one year, according to the city’s complaint.
A hearing on the city’s lawsuit has yet to be scheduled, according to Tarrant County court records.
Fort Worth has taken a more active role in addressing nuisance properties launching a pilot program in January aimed at aggressively addressing problem properties with a history of criminal activity, code violations and spillover effects in the surrounding community.
The Central Motel was listed as a potential target for a next phase of the pilot program, according to a June 23 City Council presentation.
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