Crime-ridden motel renovating in deal with DA

Complaint filed in September under public nuisance law.

More than sheets are being changed at the Masters Inn on Windy Hill Road.

T he Marietta m otel reached a one-year legal agreement with the Cobb County district attorney’s office to improve the situ- ation at what police call a “notorious hotbed of criminal activity.”

The owner was at risk of losing the property.

The DA’s office first filed a complaint against the prop- erty under Georgia’s pub- lic nuisance law in September. The DA and the motel agreed to improvements in December.

The motel was known for attracting drugs, which police allege was accompanied by prostitution and violent crime.

One of the notable crimes at the location occurred in 2015, when Demetrius Towns, 32, was found shot and killed on the breezeway of the motel.

“There has been some criminal history, and we don’t deny it,” said David Jaffer, an attorney represent- ing the motel owner, who bought the business in 2011.

He said the motel is popular with people who work construction and restaurant jobs.

Jaffer said Tuesday the motel is currently being renovated, which wasn’t a requirement of the agreement.

The improvements will demand a different price and hopefully lead to new clientele, Jaffer said, but that also leaves one fewer housing option for low-income residents.

“That’s not anybody’s fault, but that’s the fact of what happens when you transition the property,” Jaffer said.

The motel has remained open during renovations, he said.

The police department “devotes substantial public resources, attention, patrols, time and undercover operations to The Masters Inn,” according to the DA’s complaint.

The requirements of the agreement demand the motel do many things, including adding armed guards, hanging anti sex-trafficking posters and keeping an accurate list of guests confirmed by photo ID.

There will be compliance hearings to monitor the fixes. The next inspection hearing is scheduled for March 14, according to the agreement.