Charges against Executive Inn owner dropped

Charges against the owner of a condemned Rock Hill motel have been dropped, apparently bringing an end to a year-long legal drama over the property.

The city announced Tuesday it was dropping charges against the owner of the Executive Inn with the right to restore the charges in future, completing an expected agreement that the case against Punam Patel would not go forward if he cooperated with the demolition of the old motel on Anderson Road.

The motel was condemned by the city in October 2014 after several structural problems were found with the building. City officials accused Patel of not adequately addressing them, leading to “an environment of garbage, filth and potential contamination,” according to a letter sent to occupants of the motel at the time.

Several people were displaced when the motel was condemned, including families with young children who were living week-to-week in the motel as their most affordable housing option.

The city brought charges against Patel and his company, H&S Enterprises, for violations of city codes, but agreed to resolve the case if the motel were demolished.

But several scheduled court appearances were pushed back over the next year as demolition was held up by an unexpectedly large amount of asbestos that needed to be cleared from the site before demolition work could begin. The removal of motel rooms finally got under way in earnest last month.

Patel declined to comment Tuesday on the resolution of the case.

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Charges against Executive Inn owner dropped."