Lobby Tirade Marks Nearly 160 Calls At Vernon Motel 6 Since Homicide

VERNON, CT — A motel in Vernon notorious for its wild activity since a 2021 homicide has had yet another criminal incident, this time a man busting up the lobby, police said.

The latest incident at the Motel 6 took place Sept. 8. According to a police report released this week, officers responded to the 51 Hartford Turnpike property after receiving a report about an "out of control male."

The 45-year-old man from Springfield, MA, was banging on the office door, according to a police report. Police said he is accused of throwing a trash can at a window, throwing a glass table and bending a metal screen gate.

The man was charged with second-degree breach of peace.

Vernon police said there have been 159 calls to the hotel since June 27, 2021, when the fatal shooting of the motel owner took place. Other incidents have included a rock-throwing brawl and a drug overdose in which police revived the victim. Vernon police handle the lobby area and pool compound. Manchester police take care of most calls to the rooms, since the motel juts into that town.

According to court documents on the momicide, in June 2021, a Hartford man his girlfriend had been staying at the motel for about a month, and the woman asked the owner about using the pool.

The man joined an argument that ensued about a $10 surcharge for a pool pass and the couple was thrown out of the hotel, according to court documents.

The documents describe the Hartford man leaving the pool area, returning with a gun, arguing with the owner again and then shooting him several times.

The man ran to a wooded area nearby, but then called his girlfriend, talked to officers, and agreed to return, according to court documents.

The shooting was captured on surveillance equipment and the man confessed to the killing, according to the arrest affidavit.Children were present in the general area when the shooting took place, police said.