Hotel owner arrested on suspicion of maintaining property with drug activity

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

Deputies arrested a hotel owner and employees on felony charges related to alleged drug sales at their business.

Shamaz Waheed, 57, owner of Amerihost Inn and Suites in Kindom City, was arrested Tuesday by a Callaway County sheriff's deputy on suspicion of maintaining a public nuisance, according to a social media post from the Callaway County Sheriff's Office.

The charge is a Class D felony in Missouri.

Waheed posted his $1,500 bond after about an hour, according to Callaway County Jail records. Information about his case was not available in online court records.

The hotel had been a hot spot for drug activity, the sheriff's office wrote.

"The Callaway County Sheriff's Office has been actively addressing concerns related to the hotel, with deputies uncovering felony offenses, including possession of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine during multiple search warrant executions," the post says. "During these investigations, MUSTANG [drug task force] Investigators warned Waheed about the illicit sale and use of controlled substances by his hotel employees."

Investigators last week arrested two hotel employees -- Rachel Hile and Christpher Payne -- at the hotel on drug charges. They say they found 14 grams of methamphetamine while searched a room Dec. 18.

It wasn't clear Thursday when Waheed would appear in court.