Robert Brum

rbrum@lohud.com

Owners of a Nanuet hotel called a "drug superstore and brothel" by Rockland's district attorney have denied allegations that they harbored criminal activity and agreed to hire a security consultant for the 70-room motor lodge.

An agreement between County Attorney Thomas Humbach and the owner of the Days Inn at 367 W. Route 59 followed an appearance Wednesday in state Supreme Court in New City before Justice Robert Berliner.

Berliner denied the county's request for a temporary restraining order to shut the Days Inn, instead giving the hotel's owners a week to come up with a plan for cleaning up an address that's been the site of 30 arrests for prostitution and drug-related offenses in the past 12 months.

BACKGROUND: Officials want to shut Nanuet motel, called 'drug superstore and brothel'

ROCKLAND DRUG BUST: 30 arrests for heroin, cocaine

Humbach said he was satisfied with the agreement.

"We brought them to the table and they agreed to take even stronger steps to prevent the problems that plague it," he said Thursday.

Humbach said he would review the consultant's recommendations with District Attorney Thomas Zugibe and Clarkstown police before accepting the plan, then give it time to go into effect. If the owners knowingly allow drug dealing and prostitution to continue, they could be in contempt of court.

Zugibe, who along with Humbach filed a civil complaint under the county's Public Nuisance Law on March 17, said the Days Inn was being run "as an unabashed drug superstore and brothel, catering to kingpins and street-level dealers, pimps and prostitutes."

Zugibe said the owners were aware of what was going on but chose to do nothing.

The hotel was swept up in a November 2015 narcotics trafficking raid that authorities said originated out of a guest room.

'No knowledge of criminal acts'

But Frank Phillips, a lawyer for the Sopariwala family, who own the hotel under a franchise agreement with Days Inn Worldwide, said his clients "neither participated nor had knowledge of criminals acts." He said most of the hotel's bookings are online and privacy rights limit their ability to monitor guests.

"If there's criminal activity, that's not going to help our business," Phillips said. "We depend on corporations to derive revenue."

He said there was a "do not rent" list with names of people with previous criminal activity in the hotel. He said its location at the border of Spring Valley and Nanuet near the New York state Thruway makes it attractive to transients.

Phillips said the Days Inn had more than 14,000 guests in the past year and that the 30 arrests highlighted by the county comprise less than one-half of 1 percent of all its clients. The arrests hardly justified calling it a “drug superstore," he said.

He said the Sopariwalas bought the run-down motel in 1998 and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on its renovation. They have received numerous appreciation awards and work with the Red Cross to house people displaced by tragedies and emergencies.

"Our clients look forward to the chance to combat any criminal activity on its premises," Phillips said.

Humbach said he was prepared to use the county's nuisance law against other hotels that are believed to be playing host to criminal activity.

"This isn’t the only location that we’re looking into for these kinds of problems," he said. "We do have evidence that it’s going on at other locations and we are evaluating and preparing for other actions."

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