The City of Arlington filed a lawsuit seeking the closure of the Smokey Point Motor Inn because of excessive criminal activity on the property. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

The City of Arlington filed a lawsuit seeking the closure of the Smokey Point Motor Inn because of excessive criminal activity on the property. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Arlington wants to close motel, center of ‘criminal activity’

In the past few years, police have responded hundreds of times to the Smokey Point Motor Inn.

ARLINGTON — City officials in Arlington are trying to close a motel they say is rife with criminal activity.

The Smokey Point Motor Inn, at 17329 Smokey Point Drive, has been a crime hot spot for years, alleges a lawsuit filed this month by the City of Arlington in Snohomish County Superior Court. The city says it has tried to work with the current and former owners, to no avail.

The conditions at the motel just east of I-5 are a “public health hazard, the continued existence of which constitutes an immediate and emergency threat to the public health, safety and welfare of others,” the city attorney wrote in court papers.

An Arlington officer wrote in court documents that police were called to the motel 253 times between Jan. 1 and the end of August; 332 times last year; and 373 times in 2019. The calls were usually related to drug activity, according to the officer. On one day late last month, for example, police were called to the motel five times.

Local hotels of similar sizes don’t need nearly the same amount of law enforcement response, Arlington police Chief Jonathan Ventura told The Daily Herald.

On April 1, Arlington police and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office arrested 10 people who pulled into the motel’s parking lot and left shortly after, an officer wrote in court papers. They also seized some methamphetamine and heroin.

Now the city wants to put the motel in the custody of the court and likely close it for a year. The owner declined to comment.

Nearby property owners have reported vandalism, public urination and defecation and feeling intimidated and harassed by patrons of the motel. One manager at a local business said they’ve had to repair the fence next to the inn six times since April. A property manager said they had to hire someone to clean up needles daily.

“We just want it to be a livable community,” Chief Ventura said.

Arlington City Attorney Steven Peiffle wrote to the former owners in March 2020, warning them the city would seek an injunction to close the motel if the situation there didn’t improve. In September of last year, those owners sold the property to Sunlite Co. for $5.5 million, according to property records. The secretary of state’s registry of businesses lists the owner of Sunlite as Angela Yun.

Just days after the sale, Peiffle wrote to the new owner that it was their responsibility to ensure the motel was not a nuisance. In the year since that letter, the issue has not improved, according to the lawsuit.

On June 9, Arlington police served the owners with a notice that the property was violating city code.

“Units within the building are being used for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, delivering, selling, storing, or giving away any controlled substance,” Ventura wrote in the notice.

Ventura warned the owners the city would take legal action if conditions at the motel did not improve.

The owner responded the next day with a series of actions the motel would take to prevent further criminal activity on the property. She said the company would evict “illegal customers”; would no longer “take any suspicious customers who may engage in illegal activities”; had already put up fences to keep people experiencing homelessness away from the motel; and was planning to hire a security guard to be on the premises from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.

In another letter to the owners on June 18, Peiffle said the city found these suggestions to be “inadequate.” Based on conversations with police and other hotel managers, he offered over half a dozen steps the motel could take to minimize criminal activity. The suggestions included requiring identification to rent rooms, mandating rooms be rented for at least 24 hours, installing cameras to record the parking lot and common areas in the motel and requiring rooms be paid for with credit or debit cards.

The owner responded with another list of actions the motel would take to fit those guidelines. The owner said she would buy a high-quality video security system, only take credit or debit cards for initial payment and contract with a local company to tow unregistered vehicles, among other measures.

Peiffle wrote this month in court filings, however, that nothing had changed.

“Promises to change things have had no impact whatsoever,” he wrote. “In fact, they are just empty promises.”

Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Pharmacist Nisha Mathew prepares a Pfizer COVID booster shot for a patient at Bartell Drugs on Broadway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett lawmakers back universal health care bill, introduced in Olympia

Proponents say providing health care for all is a “fundamental human right.” Opponents worry about the cost of implementing it.

Outside of the updated section of Lake Stevens High School on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 in Lake Stevens, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lake Stevens, Arlington school measures on Feb. 11 ballot

A bond in Lake Stevens and a levy in Arlington would be used to build new schools.

Lake Stevens Sewer District wastewater treatment plant. (Lake Stevens Sewer District)
Lake Stevens sewer district trial delayed until April

The dispute began in 2021 and centers around when the city can take over the district.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

A salmon carcass lays across willow branches in Edgecomb Creek on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tribes: State fish passage projects knock down barriers for local efforts

Court-ordered projects have sparked collaboration for salmon habitat restoration

The Everett Municipal Building on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council approves $111 million construction of sewer project

The Port Gardner Storage Facility, in the works for more than a decade, will help prevent overflows of the city sewer system.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.