PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — The owner of the vacant Travel Inn hotel in Petersburg has been sentenced to 36 months in jail for violating several safety codes pertaining to the East Washington Street building.
According to the City of Petersburg, Travel Inn owner Katumbh LLC, Santokh Singh, has been violating codes relating to the condition of the building “for some time.” Singh was officially arrested and charged for the violations on Sept. 9.
On Nov. 3 Singh went to trial before the Petersburg General District Court on charges of Failure to Secure a Vacant Building, Storage of Combustibles in a Vacant Structure, and Failure to Maintain a Fire Alarm and Sprinkler System at the Travel Inn — he was found guilty on each charge, and sentenced to a total of 36 months in jail.
Of the 36-month sentence, 20 months were suspended.
During the trial, a Petersburg spokesperson said it was argued against Singh that “the disabled fire alarm and sprinkler system constituted a significant danger to citizens and public safety personnel who may be called to enter the building in the event of a fire.”
“The court ruling is in the best interests of our citizens and furthers the City’s ongoing efforts to eliminate blight and revitalize Petersburg,” said Mayor Sam Parham. “Petersburg appreciates the Court’s understanding of the magnitude of the many dilapidated and dangerous structures like this one and hopes that the City’s continued efforts through Fire and Code Enforcement and the City Attorney’s Office will encourage owners to bring their properties into compliance with the law.”
While the absolute and immediate future of the blight hotel is still unclear, Petersburg spokesperson Joanne Williams said now the owner is required to bring the building up to code or take it down.
The vacant hotel is located at 530 E. Washington Street.
Nearly one year ago, another vacant Petersburg hotel, the Ramada Inn, was demolished after years of disrepair, neglect, code violations and court hearings. The now-demolished hotel was located at 380 E. Washington Street, just a few blocks away from the Travel Inn.
