PASADENA : City Prosecutor Charges Safety Violations at Motel
The Pasadena city prosecutor’s office filed a 17-count criminal complaint Wednesday against owners of a low-income motel, citing multiple fire, health and building code violations.
The complaint put the city’s slumlord ordinance to use for the first time since it became law more than a year ago.
The Pasadena Municipal Court case was filed against the Capri Motel at 1559 Lincoln Ave.
If convicted on all 17 counts, owner Ching Cheng Tsai of Arcadia could face up to $10,000 in fines and 8 1/2 years in jail, said Deputy City Prosecutor Kim Resendiz. His son James L.C. Tsai faces 14 counts and, if convicted, a maximum $8,500 fine and seven-year sentence.
The 35-room hotel was evacuated Dec. 28 after an inspection showed dozens of violations, including faulty, frayed wires, hazardous plumbing, broken smoke detectors and lack of sprinklers or extinguishers, said Asst. City Prosecutor Tracy Webb.
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