Pastor Chris Avell pleads NOT GUILTY to charges after opening his church to homeless looking to escape the Ohio cold
- Pastor Chris Avell, of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio, was criminally charged with zoning violation
- The city of Bryan said the church is not allowed to house people and has failed to correct fire code violations
- From March 2023, Avell opened the church doors to provide shelter for the homeless
An Ohio pastor has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges after being accused of numerous zoning violations for opening his church to the homeless.
Pastor Chris Avell, of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio, was criminally charged with zoning violation on December 8.
The church, located next to a homeless shelter, began opening its doors in March 2023 to people looking to escape the cold, reported WTVG.
On November 21, the fire chief conducted a fire safety inspection and discovered 18 violations. Officials conducted two more inspections in January and found several violations that had not yet been addressed.
“The only reason this is still an ongoing fire/safety issue is because Chris Avell ignored the city’s notices in the fall, forcing criminal charges related to zoning,” city leaders alleged.
Pastor Chris Avell, of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio, was charged with zoning violation for allowing homeless people to stay at his church
The church, located next to a homeless shelter, began opening its doors in March 2023 to people looking to escape the cold
The city of Bryan said the pastor ignored notices of violations, forcing them to file criminal charges
Dad’s Place seems to still be open to protecting people from the cold. On Facebook, the church said it would remain open 24/7 from January 13 to 16 as a warming station to escape the bitter cold gripping Ohio.
“We’ll see, but I just praise God that from now on, if I understand correctly, people can stay,” Avell said. “We’re a church, you know, this is what we do.”
Jeremy Dys, the attorney representing Avell, said, “We are disappointed with the city for wanting to take that extra step.”
‘There are several lawyers in this case. Mayor Schlade and anyone in the city could have come and talked to any of us at any time.”
The city said the church is in a C-3 zoning district, meaning it is not permitted for residential use.
The violations found in November included improper installation of laundry facilities, inadequate or unsafe exit areas, an improperly installed gas grill, an unauthorized gas dryer, no permitted and approved hood above the stove and limited ventilation.
During an inspection in November, the fire department said they found 18 violations. He then returned twice in January to find people sleeping in the building and a gas leak
On November 17, the city zoning administrator recommended that Bryan Police Chief Gregory Ruskey (pictured) file charges against Dad’s Place.
When firefighters returned on January 9, they found that five violations had not been corrected. They returned on January 16 to find that about twenty people were sleeping in the building and that there was a gas leak.
The zoning administrator inspected Dad’s Place on Nov. 17 and said he saw several people sleeping in the building and was told there was a bedroom in the facility.
This led to Bryan’s office recommending that Police Chief Gregory Ruskey file charges against Dad’s Place.
On September 30, police received a complaint about a sex offender living out of his car in the church parking lot.
The City of Bryan said they have received an increase in calls for service since May 2023 due to inappropriate activity at Dad’s Place.