Judge orders OBT motel to shut down for 90 days 'People went there for one purpose to sell drugs and to prostitute,' a sheriff's detective says

A haven for hookers and dopers on South Orange Blossom Trail has been shut down by court order until Christmas weekend.

This week's unprecedented action against the Economy Inn followed three years of disputes between its owners and the Orange County Nuisance Abatement Board, according to the Sheriff's Office.

"People went there for one purpose: to sell drugs and to prostitute," Detective Don Woods said. "We believe the owners let it go on because it keeps rooms booked."

When buyers seeking drugs or sex arrived at the Economy Inn at 2904 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Woods said, members of the staff directed them to the appropriate rooms so someone seeking pot wouldn't be offered cocaine.

One such employee, Donald Gillard, had 17 aliases and repeated convictions for dealing cocaine, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The motel, which has fewer than 30 rooms, generated at least 30 to 40 drug-related arrests during the past year, Woods said. It also generated about 350 "calls for service" seeking law-enforcement assistance for problems on the property, he said.

Three members of the motel's management, Jitendra Kumar Patel, Paula Patel and Thakirbahi Patel, none of whom are related, claimed they owned part or all of the business, said Erick Dunlap, a sheriff's staff lawyer.

None of the Patels could be reached for comment.

The Nuisance Abatement Board ordered the Economy Inn to close its doors in June, but the business remained open until Sunday. That's when state Judge John H. Adams Sr. ordered it to be shuttered for 90 days, Dunlap said.

"The closure of a property like this is an action of last resort," said Dunlap, noting that the business had failed to pay $15,000 in fines and faces a sale next month for $34,000 in back taxes.

The motel also failed to meet certain conditions, such as conducting criminal-background checks on its employees to weed out drug dealers and prostitutes.

"They didn't do it," Dunlap said. "They said they didn't have 'employees.' Instead they said they had 'volunteers' who were doing 'community service.' "

Gillard, the employee with 17 aliases, had served four terms in prison for dealing cocaine in 1991, 2000 and 2003, state records show. He was working at the Economy Inn on Jan. 29, when deputies responded to a complaint of a gun being fired in the convict's room, according to Cpl. Susan Soto.

The smell of marijuana filled Room 12 when Gillard, 37, opened the door, records show. Deputies charged him with possession of drug paraphernalia and a concealed weapon.

When the Economy Inn is allowed to reopen on Christmas Eve, the owners must rid the premises of criminal activity or face being closed for 12 months, according to the Sheriff's Office.