EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The El Paso County Attorney’s Office and the owners of the Gateway Hotel reached a settlement agreement on Thursday, Oct. 24 to shut down the downtown establishment accused of being a public nuisance and a hotbed of criminal activity and drug use, according to court documents obtained by KTSM.
As we previously reported, District Court Judge Maria Salas-Mendoza signed a 90-day temporary injunction on Sept. 9 due to allegations from the County Attorney’s Office claiming the hotel, which is located at 104 S. Stanton St., was alleged to be a place where “habitual” criminal activity takes place, according to a lawsuit against the hotel filed by the State of Texas and the County Attorney’s Office.
Criminal activity included drug offenses, aggravated assaults and weapons offenses. Most notably, gang activity from the Venezuelan-based crime organization Tren de Aragua (TDA).
In the agreement, the owners of the hotel will not operate a business known as Gateway Hotel or use a variation of that name at 104 S. Stanton, and they will give access to law enforcement to enter the building for law enforcement purposes only, according to court documents.
Within 45 days of the order, the owners of the hotel must also pay court costs of about $380 and pay a bond of $5,000 to El Paso County as part of the agreement.
According to court documents, before operating a business at the site, owners must pass the El Paso Fire Department’s inspection from Aug. 19, fix any issues found by the City of El Paso, apply for a new certificate of occupancy for the building and make sure existing security cameras work.
The owners must also pay a $5,000 fine before operating a business there again and support efforts to stop illegal activities, according to court documents.
In addition, the order expires in 12 months, according to court documents.
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