BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) – The Bellevue motel at the center of a sex and labor trafficking investigation is being demolished. The city told KMTV in a statement "it's an emergency tear down based on the determination it's a life safety issue."
- A Bellevue motel central to federal sex and labor trafficking charges is being torn down even though the court proceedings against owner Ken Chaudari and four others have barely begun.
- The City of Bellevue ordered the emergency demolition after deeming the Fort Crook Road property unsafe in mid-August, forcing out residents who had been living there.
- While the Bellevue motel is being demolished, three other motels involved in the same trafficking investigation in Omaha still sit boarded up.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A Bellevue motel at the center of a major federal sex and labor trafficking case is being demolished.
Demolition crews began tearing down the motel on Fort Crook Road early Friday morning. The property was one of four motels where prosecutors say women were prostituted and others were forced to work against their will.
Ken Chaudari, the owner of the motels, and four others were arrested and charged with sex and labor trafficking and drug crimes in August. The federal government seized all of the buildings this summer, though the county assessor's website still lists the hotel owner's LLC as the property owner.
The federal prosecutor and Chaudari's defense attorney have not responded to requests for comment about whether the demolition impacts their case.
City of Bellevue workers deemed the property unsafe in mid-August, forcing out many people who lived there. Workers returned to the motel two weeks ago to prepare the property for demolition.
"It's an emergency tear down based on the determination it's a life safety issue," the City of Bellevue said in a statement.
While the Bellevue hotel was being demolished, the three other motels involved in the investigation, which are located in Omaha, all still sit boarded up.
Neighbors expressed relief at seeing the demolition work begin.
"I thought maybe they were clearing it out for a renovation so it was a shock to see them come in with a backhoe," said Sarah Hannigan, who lives directly behind the motel.
Hannigan said she didn't feel safe near the building at night.
"I'm happy to see it go, I'm curious to see what they will do with it and hopefully something nicer will pop up there in the future," Hannigan said.
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