INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The city of Independence is working to close what it deems problematic motels.
The Sports Stadium Motel on Highway 40 is the most recent, with the city citing multiple code violations and excessive calls for service to the police. Police responded there 343 times in 2023 and 2024, according to the city.
The city has shut down three other motels since the beginning of the year: Clarion Pointe on I-70 & Noland Road and the Budget Motor Inn and Executive Inn & Suites, which are also on Highway 40.
"It frees up our officers to handle other types of calls for service in other parts of the city," Ofc. Bryan Conley, spokesperson for the Independence Police Department, told KSHB 41 in March.
VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s Sarah Plake
Conley said the department has seen a 35 percent decrease in crime in the area since Clarion Pointe closed.
Now, all four motels are asking a judge to intervene and let them continue operating.
"I'm on fire about it," Cindy Caswell said. "We need to make a change."
Caswell has been vocal about this issue ever since her daughter, Libby Caswell, died under suspicious circumstances at the Sports Stadium Motel on Dec. 11, 2017.
Independence police closed Libby's case as a suicide despite the medical examiner ruling her death "undetermined."
A team of experts with experience in strangulation and domestic violence cases has also weighed in, saying they don't believe Libby took her life.
"The main reason was the crime that happened there. My daughter died in a cold, horrible, dirty room with no help," Caswell said. "People call 911 and officers respond and, you know, she was just kind of a statistic of that place, in my mind."
Throughout the process of reporting on Libby's case, KSHB 41's Sarah Plake had already requested police calls to the motel from previous years from the city. The data shows that from 2018 to the end of 2021, police responded to the Sports Stadium Motel more than 800 times.
Those calls were for domestic disturbances, welfare checks, suspicious persons or activities, drugs, assault, stolen cars, and so on.
"It's a mixed bag of emotions when this comes up," Caswell said. "My memories of the place are what they are. You can't unsee what you see. It just makes me sick that it's gone on this long."
Greg Hunsucker, one of the owners of V's Italiano Ristorante, said the image is one of the biggest parts of the problem.
"People see those motels and they know what they're for, they know why they're there," Hunsucker said.
V's has been on Highway 40 for decades. Hunsucker said the strip has gone down over the years and wants to see a change.
"It's my hope that the cities will realize they need to spend some money out here on this corridor to take care of things," Hunsucker said.
Brian Palmer, an attorney representing the Sports Stadium Motel owners, told KSHB 41 in a statement: "Sports Stadium Motel is one of several minority-owned businesses that the City of Independence has unfairly targeted, seeking to blame them for the City’s failure to control homelessness and crime."
In an administrative hearing at City Hall in May, Palmer argued that the police couldn't be sure if the criminal activity was truly caused by the motel or its guests. Palmer pointed to the Budget Inn across the street, the vacant bar next door, the liquor store two doors down, and an alleged homeless encampment in the woods behind the motel.
Palmer also raised an issue with the incidents marked as traffic stops.
"So, you're guessing as to how some of these reports or incidents are getting tagged to the Sports Stadium Motel," Palmer asked Michelle Sumstad, deputy chief of Independence police, during her witness testimony.
Sumstad responded, "They will only get tagged to the Sports Stadium Motel if it associates to the Sports Stadium Motel."
In his court filing, Palmer alleges the city is "discriminating against persons of Asian/Indian descent in targeting and selectively invoking the Revocation Ordinance to revoke business licenses."
The city's spokesperson, Rebecca Gannon, sent KSHB 41 a statement, which reads below.
The City of Independence's primary concern is the health, safety, and welfare of its residents and visitors. Any actions taken are intended to ensure that, including actions regarding business licenses.
During an administrative hearing in May of 2025, a City health inspector testified to multiple violations found at the Sports Stadium Motel, including: exposed hardware in walls, improper housekeeping, dirty and damaged bed linens and mattresses, and non-working smoke detectors. In that same hearing, a Deputy Chief with Independence Police noted officers had responded to 343 calls from January 2023 to December of 2024, and an additional 43 calls for service from January to April of 2025 - for a total of 386 calls for service. Those calls for service included assault, shots fired, kidnapping, and armed robbery.
These are dangerous conditions the City of Independence does not want visitors or residents to experience. The City of Independence does not discriminate against any individuals or businesses, and is dedicated to treating all businesses equally and fairly. However, the City's highest priority is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the public, and any actions taken by the City are in pursuit of that objective. The City believes that its actions were in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and we will vigorously defend against these claims in the appropriate venue - the courtroom.
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