Nuisance Abatement Unit Closes Troubled West Broad Street Motel

Published on August 25, 2025

A Prairie Township motel that has been the site of repeated drug and violent activity was shut down today by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office’s newly formed Nuisance Abatement Unit.

The New Rome Motel, 5246 W. Broad St., closed at noon following a preliminary injunction ordered by a Franklin County judge. In seeking the closure, the Nuisance Abatement Unit outlined a lengthy history of criminal activity at the motel, including:

  • More than 80 calls to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office since January 2024 for incidents involving drug trafficking, overdoses, domestic violence and sexual assault.
  • Forty-two visits from the Prairie Township Fire Department since 2023 for multiple medical emergencies related to overdoses and drug ingestion.
  • At least six overdose deaths at the motel since 2021, involving fentanyl, acetylfentanyl, oxycodone and cocaine.

The property, owned by Saana Hospitality LLC, sits one block north of an elementary school and within a few blocks of a church and park. A hearing on whether to grant a permanent injunction against the New Rome Motel is scheduled for Sept. 24.

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