JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A Jackson Municipal Court judge has given a downtown Jackson hotel 72 hours to close.
On Friday, Judge Jeff Reynolds ordered Jiau Ping Zhui to close the Regency Hotel for several Jackson city code violations.
“Hotel occupants and guests expect and deserve that when they choose to stay at a hotel in Jackson, the hotel is safe and in compliance with all city codes, especially those related to safety,” Reynolds wrote in a September 30 order obtained by WLBT. “This hotel falls terribly short. Mold permeates the premises, even in at least 12 rooms. The gas leak in the main kitchen presents an extreme fire hazard… If a fire were to break out, guests would not have a clear path to safety due to multiple closed doors and no operable emergency lights.”
“That the defendant allowed guests to hold meetings in this clearly unsafe environment shocks the conscience of this court,” he wrote.
The order states that Regency must immediately stop bringing in new tenants and give all current residents notice to vacate the facility within 72 hours.
Zhui has 180 days to demolish the structure or bring it up to city code. If he doesn’t, he could face up to 120 days behind bars.
Reynolds sentenced Zhui to prison, but suspended the sentence pending her compliance with the order.
The judge also imposed a $1 million secured bond, citing the high repair costs associated with the hotel, as well as the fact that Zhui may be a flight risk.
Additionally, the Jackson Fire Department is ordered to find the source of the natural gas leak and to shut it down within 24 hours of receiving the order.
“This death trap cannot be allowed to operate until the reasonable satisfaction of the city is achieved,” he wrote.
Chief Willie Owens said he hadn’t seen the ruling and wasn’t sure how serious the gas leak was. He said the fire department would abide by Reynold’s decision, but could call on natural gas distribution company Atmos Energy to help.
WLBT reached out to the Regency for comment, but a person who answered the phone said they could not speak.
Court documents reveal that JFD had been called to the facility numerous times since 2020 for violations. Interim Director of Planning and Development Chloe Dotson opened a case at the facility and noted continued violations during four inspections this summer.
“She [observed] many doors were chained and padlocked, preventing egress in case of fire, and they testified about a section of the roof that had collapsed, [as well as] the widespread use of extension cords and exposed electrical wires,” the judge wrote.
The hotel was operating without a valid business privilege license, which requires the applicant to pass several inspections, Dotson told the court.
The property is in Ward 7, which is represented by Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay.
She applauded the court’s decision to close the facility, saying it has been “a difficult time for the city.”
“I hope the owner will take this matter very seriously and correct the violations quickly,” he said.
Lindsay also applauds the city’s efforts to step up code enforcement.
The Regency is one of several facilities that have been closed this year for code violations. In July, a Hinds County chancellor judge ordered the closure of the Olive Tree Hotel and Banquet Halls at 5075 I-55 North, citing numerous safety concerns.
Also in July, Reynolds ordered the closure of the Studio 7 Hotel on I-55, calling the facility “extremely dangerous.”
“The problem with many of them is that they treat them as long-term stays. People who have hot plates live there [in their rooms]and the smoke alarms don’t work or they didn’t have them in the first place,” Chief Owens said.
“Sometimes we go in and find 10 people in one room. We warn them, we come back and find the same violations and we have no choice but to close them.”
In Regency’s case, records show the defendant told the court that almost all of the problems stemmed from a March 2022 tornado, “for which he had an open insurance claim that has been slow to cover the damages”. Regarding the gas leak, the owner told the court that the kitchen where it is located has not been used since 2019 and that he has contacted the gas company three times to fix it.
Still, city officials were concerned that continued use of the facility in its current state could put lives at risk. “They have great parties there, including one last Saturday after a JSU game,” Owens said. “There were hundreds of people there: DJs, cooking, bounce houses, but no permit.”
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