JACKSON, Mississippi (WLBT) – Jackson could be one step closer to demolishing a defunct hotel along I-55 North.
On Tuesday, Jackson Municipal Court Judge Henry Clay declared Hotel O a menace and fined its owner, Noah Muthana, $1,500.
Clay made his decision within minutes of looking at photos of the dilapidated property.
“This is the Hotel O?” he asked. “Is the limit $1,500?”
With this decision, the case can now be presented to the Jackson City Council, where the city must give the green light to demolish the building.
This came just weeks after City Judge Reynolds ordered the city to demolish the property in early August.
(READ: The Jackson City Attorney expects to announce the bid for the demolition of the Hotel O next week (if not soon after).
City Attorney Drew Martin said he expects to present a motion to the council in time for its Sept. 10 or Sept. 24 meeting.
“If the city council orders demolition, we should be ready to start in October,” he said. “We should have the prices by October 1.”
Martin said state law requires the city to again notify the property owner of the upcoming vote.
Muthana did not appear at Tuesday’s hearing, even though Martin said the city sent notices to “every address we know of.”
According to Hinds County land records, Muthana’s local address is 6 Pear Orchard Park in Jackson. He has not paid taxes on the property as of 2021.
An arrest warrant had already been issued against the owner in January after Reynolds sentenced him to 88 days in prison for violating previous orders to demolish the hotel.
In June, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade told WLBT that the department had received information that the owner was in the Houston or Baton Rouge area.
As of Tuesday morning, Muthana had still not been taken into custody.
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