WEST CARTHAGE, New York (WWNY) – The owner of the Pleasant Night Inn doesn’t want anymore sex offenders in his motel.
“We have amended our hotel policy to no longer accept registered sex offenders at our location,” said Paresh Patel, owner of the Pleasant Night Inn in West Carthage.
Patel is sending a letter to the Jefferson County Department of Social Services, saying he decided to change hotel policy to no longer allow sex offenders. He’s also asking that people with a violent or disruptive history no longer be placed at the hotel either.
“I’ve heard from the community, that they are making trouble in the community. So. that’s why I decided.”
Close to a dozen protesters picketed outside of his hotel in West Carthage on Saturday. People held up signs saying, “danger, registered sex offenders live here,” and “this hotel loves to house sex offenders on tax payer dollars.”
This comes one week after one of the hotel’s residents – placed there by DSS – was seen by a few park goers pleasuring himself in view of two adolescent children using the playground, less than 1,000 feet from the hotel.
West Carthage Mayor Scott Burto says the letter is a step in the right direction.
“It shows what the community coming together in numbers and in strength can do when there’s an issue of safety,” said Mayor Burto.
He says he asked Patel to send the letter last month, but he never did until this weekend. The letter will now require the county to stop sending registered sex offenders to the pleasant night inn.
“We’ve tried to back off from doing that for the last several months anyhow,” said Bill Johnson, Jefferson County Board of Legislators Chairman. “He’s sending this letter, it says they’re not going to take them so, I guess we’ll have to find some other place to put them.”
Johnson says he’s not immediately sure where that new place will be.
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