Judge gives Plaza Inn two weeks to improve security at 'fentanyl den of OKC'

An Oklahoma County district judge has declared a notorious Oklahoma City motel a public nuisance, and now, its owners have two weeks to add more security and surveillance of the property or be shut down.

Owners of the Plaza Inn, a motel in southeast Oklahoma City with a history of violent crime, have until Oct. 27 to ensure at least 22 additional surveillance cameras and two armed security guards are on-site, according to a consent decree filed Oct. 13.

Once described by a local police officer as "the fentanyl den of Oklahoma City," the Plaza Inn, 3200 S Interstate 35 Service Road, has been a hotspot for criminal activity for many years, with heavy reports alleging deadly violence, drug dealing and prostitution.

“Based on the evidence, the Plaza Inn property is a public nuisance due to the violent criminal activity on the property that continues unabated,” Oklahoma County District Judge Don Andrews said in the consent decree.

What are the terms of the consent decree?

Steve Ketter and Michael Wiley, co-owners of the company running the Plaza Inn, mutually agreed with city management and attorneys on the terms needed to better conditions at the motel. The terms of the consent decree include:

• At least two armed security guards, licensed by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, are immediately necessary on the grounds 24/7 to deter violent behavior and crime.

• At least 22 additional surveillance cameras placed at various locations on the hotel grounds within two weeks of Oct. 13, in order to provide adequate video coverage and document any possible criminal activity.

• Video recordings from the surveillance cameras must be maintained for at least 10 days at all times and be provided to local police upon request for use as evidence in criminal cases.

• Security guards must call the Oklahoma City Police Department when crime occurs or when attempting to detain possible suspects until police arrive.

• Security guards will maintain an accurate log of their own activity and schedule on the property, as well as any arrests or attempted arrests of people committing crimes on the property.

• Motel management and ownership must provide records of security guards’ schedules, payments and activity logs to police every Monday on a weekly basis.

• “No Trespassing Signs” were to remain visible “in conspicuous areas” on the motel property

Exclusive: Motel described as 'fentanyl den' of OKC sees surging homicides and crime

Doug Carel, the attorney representing Ketter and Wiley, told The Oklahoman the minimum requirement for two security guards had already been fulfilled before the agreement was signed Friday.

"Before the agreement was even signed, my clients were looking into what they needed to do to comply in a timely manner, and they've already begun the process," Carel said. "They were happy to reach that deal and they hope that things work well between the city and the Plaza Inn going forward."

City intervenes to 'quell the violence' at Plaza Inn

The consent decree between motel ownership and city authorities is the latest development in an ongoing suit over a surge of crime at the Plaza Inn. The Oklahoman previously reported at least 626 phone calls for police at the Plaza Inn between July 2021 and July 2022.

Most of those calls involved disturbance complaints, well-being checks and traffic stops, according to a review of public records performed by The Oklahoman. But by mid-2022 alone, at least 10 assaults, two shootings, eight attempted suicides, three stabbings, 13 thefts, four acts of vandalism and 11 overdoses were reported at the Plaza Inn, police records showed.

The Plaza Inn has about 100 rentable rooms and has been open along I-35 in southeast Oklahoma City since 1971. It has been owned by Plaza Hotels LLC, headquartered in El Reno where Ketter resides, since about 2015.

Ketter previously told The Oklahoman that he and Wiley were working with the city's nuisance abatement office and the police department's Santa Fe patrol division to boost public safety at the hotel. But city attorneys alleged the owners repeatedly ignored notifications to comply with city code and to abate public nuisance complaints.

In early May, the city filed a lawsuit against the Plaza Inn owners, triggering a months-long dispute between the two parties over how to make the motel safer.

“In May of 2023 the owners seemed to agree that several guards would be necessary to quell the violence — now they claim that having one or two guards around much of the time is an adequate abatement strategy,” city attorneys wrote in court records filed Oct. 10. “The City disagrees and seeks an injunction requiring a much more robust security effort.”

But the hotel owners' attorney told The Oklahoman they have long worked to remain compliant of the city's requests, and he was confident they could abide by the consent decree's terms when The Oklahoman reached out Monday.

"I guess all lawsuits are a little contentious, but I didn't think this was too bad," Carel said. "I mean, there was a little give-and-take but, at least from our perspective, there's no ill will that my clients harbor towards anyone because of this, and we just hope to move forward and get all this behind us."

A hearing, originally planned for Tuesday, has been taken off the docket schedule since the consent decree was filed.

"Unless there's a modification of that decree or a violation of that decree, I would not think that there would be any more hearings scheduled on it," Carel said. "But we'll see how things play out in the future."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Plaza Inn OKC has 2 weeks to solve crime, security issues, judge says