Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson got a first-hand look at the Budgetel on Friday. The couple rooms he set foot in he termed “substandard.”

During the 30-minute inspection, Judge Patterson was accompanied by the extended-stay motel’s owner, Amish Patel, his attorney, Chris Clem, and representatives of the district attorney’s office. 

The judge was shown at least one room in the 250-plus room motel that was much cleaner and in good repair.

Several structural issues needing attention were noted, including dilapidated stairs and a substandard electrical panel.

The Budgetel was closed on November 16, after Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp filed a complaint with the court that the extended stay was a public nuisance due to many crimes committed at the site over the past three years. A major factor was about 1,400 calls to East Ridge police during that time.

Those calls for service were related to narcotics violation, drug overdoses, assaults, and disorderly conduct, records show.

A representative of the owner who is an information technology consultant, said plans are in place to mitigate those calls with a new policy to respond to smoke detectors going off in individual rooms. In addition, a Next Generation 911 system (NG911) will be installed. The benefit of this system is that it provides more information, like specific room numbers and the floor from which the call is received.

Judge Patterson will announce his decision at a hearing scheduled for December 12.