Workers, residents of motel must vacate facility today

By Elise Franco

A Canfield motel owner has his properties listed for sale for $1.3 million.

CANFIELD — Time is running out for those who live and work at the Canfield Colonial Motel.

Dave Benigas, detective for the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, said a court order issued by Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court states everyone must be vacated from the property effective today.

The motel at 7815 Akron-Canfield Road and the El Patio Motel at 485 W. Main St. are owned by Arthur Klein, 67, who has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of promoting prostitution and conspiracy to promote prostitution, with forfeiture specifications.

Both motels were searched April 16 to collect evidence in a two-month investigation. Four weeks earlier, undercover members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force gathered evidence.

The El Patio was boarded up May 27 by the Canfield Police Department and must stay closed until at least July.

Benigas said the Colonial’s court order has no such stipulations.

“We’ll patrol the area to make sure no one is staying there,” he said. “There’s no sense in boarding it up unless they violate the terms of the judge’s order.”

As a part of the judge’s order, Klein is allowed to sell both properties. The motels are listed for sale as commercial properties for $1.3 million on Exit Realty Home Pride’s Web site, www.exitrealtyhomepride.com.

Four former El patio and Canfield Colonial employees have pleaded guilty to charges related to prostitution and were convicted.

efranco@vindy.com