244 Joliet Police Calls To Star Inn Motel This Year: Exclusive

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Police Department has responded to a staggering 244 calls for service at West Jefferson Street's Star Inn Motel between Jan. 1 and Dec. 8, a Joliet Patch Freedom of Information Act request has found.

A total of 43 police calls were serious enough to warrant a full police report of the incident. Star Inn is located at 2219 1/2 West Jefferson St. The economic success of the Star Inn comes at the same time when many of Joliet's surrounding businesses and properties are struggling or failing to attract new redevelopment.

The Star Inn is adjacent to one of West Jefferson Street's biggest eyesores, the empty Senor Tequila property owned by the Basinger's Pharmacy. Next to that is the Baker's Square restaurant that closed in March 2019 and has stayed empty, unable to attract a new buyer to this day.

This month, Joliet Patch filed a Freedom of Information Act request trying to gauge the number of police service calls to the Star Inn Motel property.

Patch made this request after noticing a number of serious police calls to the motel in recent weeks.

The Star Inn website proclaims it is now operated under new management. And its website slogan, in all capital letters, reads "COME STAY WITH US TO FEEL AT HOME."

However, the Joliet police data reveals there were many days throughout this year when officers got called to the Star Inn once, twice and sometimes even three separate times on the same day.

On occasion, Joliet police and Joliet fire trucks or ambulances are called to the Star Inn at the same time.

On Dec. 3, Joliet police issued a news release on the arson arrest of Star Inn guest Andrew Hogrefe, a 41-year-old Joliet resident, who set his motel room on fire around 4 a.m., according to his criminal complaint.

Crews from Joliet Fire Station No. 6 arrived at the Star Inn shortly after 4 a.m. to put out the fire before flames spread to other motel rooms and burned down the entire building.

Joliet Patch's FOIA to Joliet Police, which was granted in full by the department, asked for general information regarding all calls for service so far this year.

From the data, Patch has compiled the following summary in hopes of giving you a better picture of what kinds of police calls are keeping Joliet officers busy at the Star Inn:

Joliet Patch has obtained similar data sets for a number of other Joliet motels and hotels.

Follow-up stories on those calls for service will probably be published periodically over the next several days. Keep in mind that Patch's data does not include any calls for service after Dec. 8.

STAR INN MOTEL, 2219 1/2 West Jefferson St., Joliet:

Dec. 6, officer takes report of a theft of less than $500.
Dec. 3, the incident of Hogrefe's arrest on arson charges is classified as "follow up."

Nov. 30, officers respond to a disturbance at the motel. The matter is resolved without any arrests.
Nov. 27, officers remove an unwanted person without any arrests.
Nov. 27, a dead person is found at one of the rooms.
Nov. 26, officers write a report of someone criminally trespassing.
Nov. 25, officers remove an unwanted person without any arrests.
Nov. 25, police learn of domestic trouble. The matter is resolved at the scene.
Nov. 23, police learn of another domestic trouble call. The matter is again resolved.
Nov. 22, another dead person is found at one of the rooms.
Nov. 12, officers respond to a disturbance at the motel. The matter is resolved without any arrests.
Nov. 11, officers take a report of criminal damage to someone's property.
Nov. 7, officers take a report of a harassment complaint from someone.
Nov. 1, police are called for a domestic battery crime. A full report is written.
Nov 1, officers remove an unwanted person without making an arrest.

Oct. 29, an unspecified criminal investigation involves follow up work.
Oct. 28, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
Oct 14, Oct. 23 and twice on Oct. 25: officers remove unwanted guests from the motel without making an arrest or the people left before police arrived.
Oct. 9, hit-and-run crash, property damage police report taken.
Oct. 8, Several hours apart, officers remove unwanted people without an arrest.
Oct. 7, Joliet police are called to the Star Inn to help another law enforcement agency in the midst of a criminal investigation.
Oct. 6, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
Oct. 2, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.

Sept. 30, police are called to two separate disturbances hours apart and the matters are resolved without an arrest.
Sept. 26, officers are called on two separate occasions to remove unwanted people and both incidents are resolved without arrests.
Sept. 25, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
Sept. 24, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
Sept. 13, officers are called to remove an unwanted person. It's resolved without an arrest.
Sept. 8, an officer takes report of a theft of less than $500.
Sept. 8, officers respond to a felony domestic battery crime.
Sept. 7, officers respond to another felony domestic violence call.
Sept. 6, officers remove an unwanted person. It's resolved without an arrest.
Sept. 3, officers respond to a convicted sex offender registry violation.
Sept. 1, police respond to another a convicted sex offender registry violation incident.

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Aug. 31, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call.
Aug. 26, police write a report regarding a sex offender registration update.
Aug. 25, police are unable to locate two convicted sex offenders to update their address information.
Aug. 20, Aug. 22, Aug. 23, police respond to separate domestic violence calls. The issues are resolved at the scene.
Aug. 15, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
Aug. 14, officers are called to a gun suicide inside one of the rooms.
Aug. 11, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
Aug. 7, police respond to different ambulances summoned to the motel several hours apart.
Aug. 5, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.

July 31, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
July 28, officers respond to a felony domestic battery crime.
July 26, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call.
July 23, police write a criminal offense report and the call is labeled "transportation of mental cases."
July 20, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
July 15, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
July 11, officers respond to a landlord and tenant dispute. No arrests occur.
July 9, police respond to a call of gunshots fired, but are unable to locate them.
July 7, police respond to the motel for a criminal investigation follow up.
July 4, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.

July 3, police write a report on a felony theft of more than $500.
July 2, officers take a report of criminal damage to someone's property.
June 27, several hours apart, officers are called to remove an unwanted person from the property and then there's also a heroin drug overdose at the motel.
June 23, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
June 22, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call.
June 21, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
June 19, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
June 15, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call.
June 7, police take a report about "fires" being set.
June 6, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call. The issue is settled at the scene.
June 1, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call. The issue is settled at the scene.

May 30, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
May 25, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call. The issue is settled at the scene.
May 24, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.

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May 23, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call.
May 20, officers are called to remove an unwanted person. It's resolved without an arrest.
May 5, there is an armed robbery incident at the Star Inn.
May 2, police respond to a domestic violence trouble call. The issue is settled at the scene.

April 30, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
April 29, police are called to a customer and management dispute.
April 25, police take an incident report of a computer fraud crime.
April 23, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel and the same day other officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
April 21, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
April 19, police are called for a heroin drug overdose. An incident report is made. That same day, in an unrelated call, officers respond to a domestic violence incident.
April 16, police respond to help an ambulance summoned to the motel.
April 14, officers respond to a criminal disturbance and write a police report.
April 3, officers respond to a disturbance incident, but no arrests occur. Also on April 3, officers learn of another heroin overdose at the motel.
April 2, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
April 1, officers handle a crime involving felony aggravated assault.

March 30, officers respond to a tenant and management dispute that gets resolved.
March 29, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
March 28, officers respond to a domestic violence incident that's resolved without arrests.
March 25, officers handle a crime involving battery.
March 14, police respond to help another ambulance summoned to the motel.
March 13, police respond to an ambulance summoned to the motel.
March 9-10, police respond to three separate calls involving ambulance calls to the motel.
March 7, officers respond to a domestic violence incident without any arrests.
March 6, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.
March 2, officers remove an unwanted person without an arrest.

Feb. 22, officers resolve a domestic violence incident without any arrests.
Feb. 15, officers respond to drug activity at the motel. Two separate incident reports are made.
Feb. 12, police respond to a call of children playing in the street.
Feb. 5, police arrest someone on charges of obstructing an officer and resisting arrest.
Feb. 1, police respond to a domestic violence incident that's resolved without arrests.

Jan. 27, police are summoned to another abandoned vehicle and place a seven-day tag.
Jan. 25, police respond to a domestic violence incident that's resolved without arrests.
Jan. 22, police are summoned to an abandoned vehicle and place a seven-day tag. That same day, police respond to an ambulance summoned to the motel.
Jan. 19, police handle a disturbance and dispute and resolve the matter without any arrests.
Jan. 16, police respond to an ambulance summoned to the motel.
Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, police handle separate disturbance and disputes and resolve both matters without any arrests.
Jan. 1, police handle a felony aggravated domestic battery crime and make a full report.

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