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OGDEN -- The eviction deadline has passed for residents of an embattled extended stay motel in Ogden. At 3:00 pm today, Police officers went door to door telling residents the motel was no longer open and they needed to leave.
Only about five people were still there, and all of them told police they were going to leave. No one argued with police during all of this.
The tough part is that some of these residents say they had nothing to do with the bad stuff going on at the motel and don't have anywhere else to go.
Tawnya Wilkins is blind and worries about her future.
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The business, Courtyard Inn is a motel in downtown Ogden. Police say they've documented a sharp up-tick in crime there since the current owners took over almost two years ago."The homeless shelters won't take me because of my blindness," said Tawnya Wilkins. "Cause they don't have enough staff to lead me around and stuff. We're pretty much going to be homeless."
Michael Wilkins said that he's upset and he doesn't know what to do about it. He said right now they have only a quarter, and they're living in God's hands. Both are upset about the short notice of the eviction.
"They could at least have said it's a possibility," Michael Wilkins said. " They didn't say nothing. We didn't know nothing was going on until yesterday. Then we got to be out at 3:00 today? That's the way I feel about it. I'm going to go pop ‘em in the head, that's the way I feel about it." He also said he is not a violent person.
Police Chief Jon Greiner said Thursday that in two different police stings, the undercover cop asked for a discounted room rate so he could afford the hooker. Both times, an employee at the motel obliged.
Police say they've been investigating the Courtyard Inn since April. In that time, statistics released at yesterday's news conference included 278 calls to 911 so far this year, up from 211 last year. 100 police reports had been written up so far as well.
What was going on?
Primarily drug and prostitution activity. Police Chief Jon Greiner said Thursday that in two different police stings, the undercover cop asked for a discounted room rate so he could afford the hooker. Both times, an employee at the motel obliged.
At least one worker has been arrested on drug charges this year. Cops say they saw meth, coke, marijuana and heroin pass through the inn. They also said the owners of the motel did not take part in the criminal activity, but they helped to facilitate it.
The owners have said they've been trying to help police get the bad guys. Regardless, with the deadline passed, the hotel is now empty of both crime, and people.
Written by Andrew Adams and Alex Cabrero
