Motel made famous in Planes, Trains & Automobiles is now ‘rife with prostitution and drug abuse’

Motel made famous by ‘Planes, Trains & Automobiles’ has become ‘rife with prostitution and drug abuse’

  • Following a year-long sting operation, owner, Vinodchandra ‘Vinny’ Patel, 64, was arrested for allegedly enabling and promoting prostitution on the premises
  • Now called the Sun Motel, manager, 67-year-old Kanubhai ‘Kenny’ Patel, of no relation, has also been arrested on separate sexual assault charges 
  • The threadbare roadside rest-stop once served as the comedic backdrop for Steve Martin and John Candy but has become riddled by crime 
  • An officer form Braidwood PD is said to have posed as an undercover pimp from Chicago looking to bring his business to the roadhouse
  • While police say Vinny Patel is by no means a pimp himself, he was ‘allowing certain circumstances to exist’ on the property 

Made famous by the movie ‘Planes, Trains & Automobiles’, an Illinois motel once known as The Braidwood has become overrun with drug users and a prostitution ring, an undercover police investigation revealed.

Following a year-long sting operation, the Braidwood Police Department arrested the motel’s current owner, Vinodchandra ‘Vinny’ Patel, 64, for allegedly enabling and promoting prostitution on the premises.

Now called the Sun Motel, the premises’ manager, 67-year-old Kanubhai ‘Kenny’ Patel, of no relation, has also been arrested on separate charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a guest at the residence.

The threadbare roadside rest-stop once served as the comedic backdrop for Steve Martin and John Candy, who, in a scene in the 1987 movie, found themselves stranded in a single motel room overnight.

Kanubhai ‘Kenny’ Patel

Vinodchandra ‘Vinny’ Patel (left), 64, has been arrested for allegedly enabling and promoting prostitution on the premises. Kenny Patel (right), of no relation, was arrested for unrelated sexual assault charges

Now called the Sun Motel, the premises once served as the comedic backdrop for Steve Martin and John Candy in the 1987 film Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Now called the Sun Motel, the premises once served as the comedic backdrop for Steve Martin and John Candy in the 1987 film Planes, Trains & Automobiles

In the three decades that has passed, the motel has changed ownership, and now finds itself at the epicenter of an alleged prostitution ring.

An officer form Braidwood PD is said to have posed as an undercover pimp from Chicago looking to bring his business to the roadhouse, with a female officer posing as a prostitute under his command.

While police say Vinny Patel is by no means a pimp himself, he was ‘allowing certain circumstances to exist’ on the property, according to Police Chief Nick Ficarello.

Ficarello also estimated around a dozen or so women were staying at the hotel for prolonged periods of time, offering sexual services in exchange for cash.

In the three decades that has passed, the motel has changed ownership, and now finds itself at the epicenter of an alleged prostitution ring

In the three decades that has passed, the motel has changed ownership, and now finds itself at the epicenter of an alleged prostitution ring

Just last week, the police department received a call from a guest at the motel to report suspected criminal activity on the premises, Patch.com reported.

Over the past four years, authorities say they’ve responded 14 calls regarding drug overdoses at the Sun Motel, two of which resulted in death.

‘We’ve addressed the opioid epidemic in an aggressive manner and this situation at the motel was contributing to that problem,’ Ficarello said.

Braidwood Mayor, James Vehrs, said he is ‘proud of the continued efforts to clean up this chronic nuisance and the war on drugs in the city of Braidwood,’ WGN9 reported.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk