Fox Lake may close motel after inspection finds dozens of violations

Fox Lake may try to close the Marina Motel on Route 12 after police discovered a mentally-impaired man living in squalor in one of the rooms last month, village officials said Wednesday.

The motel at 123 S. Route 12 was cited for more than 60 health, business, and building code violations following the discovery of the 28-year-old man who suffers from Fragile X Syndrome.

A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16, at 1:30 p.m. at village hall, 66 Thellen Drive, to determine whether the village should suspend the motel's business license.

Police Chief Mike Behan said the motel has been the source of numerous complaints, including drugs and domestic disturbances, in recent years. It has operated in the village for at least 35 years.

"This motel has given us a constant variety of problems since I was named police chief more than two years ago," he said. "It's time to put all the village's resources together and end the ongoing problems there."

Motel officials were not available for comment Wednesday.

Behan said officers were summoned to the motel Aug. 18 after someone called emergency dispatch from a cell phone requesting help, but hung up before officers arrived at the scene.

Officers knocked on every door at the motel to ensure no one was in danger, Behan said, and were shocked by what they found behind one door.

"The only way I can describe it is to say the 28-year-old was living in complete inhumane conditions," he said. "The room was definitely uninhabitable, so we called in the rescue squad and had the person taken out."

He said the victim was unable to care for himself or the dog living in the room with him.

Fox Lake Building Commissioner Bill Hart said feces littered the floor and the walls, water or other liquids soaked the bed, and the dog had been living in the room for "quite some time" without being let outside.

Officials later determined the man suffers from Fragile X Syndrome. According to fragilex.org, it is the most common cause of inherited mental impairment, ranging from learning disabilities to more severe cognitive or intellectual disabilities. It is the most common known cause of autism or "autistic-like" behaviors, the Web site added.

Behan said the man was taken to Centegra Hospital-McHenry, and officials from the Fox Lake Building Department, Lake County state's attorney's office, Illinois Department of Human Services, Lake County Animal Control and the Illinois Inspector General's Office were notified.

The man is under the care of the Department of Human Services, while the dog is with Lake County Animal Control, Behan said. The man's family has been contacted.

Because of the conditions inside the room, Hart said, an inspection of the motel was done immediately.

"We felt, after seeing the room, it was important to conduct a building inspection of the entire facility right then and there," he said. "More than 60 violations were recorded and outlined at the motel by the time we were completed."

An investigation is under way, Behan said, including to learn how the man was able to acquire the room and live in the motel for an extended period of time.

"I do not believe he was capable of renting the room himself," he said. "But, because of the investigation and pending public hearing, I cannot comment on how the 28-year-old was able to obtain the room in the first place."