The city of Scottsville may be waking up to the sounds of construction this morning as the Uptown Motel is being demolished close to the city’s square.
The demolition comes as the former owner was arrested for drug trafficking. Dilavar K. Dwivedi, former owner of the motel, pled guilty last year at the Allen County Circuit Court last year, to multiple counts of trafficking a controlled substance. As part of a plea deal Dwivedi relinquished ownership of the property to the city and county, which still housed around a dozen residents, plans to demolish the property were made and residents were given a 60-day eviction notice. Darren Tabor, Scottsville Police Chief, describes the efforts they have gone through to make sure the demolition was safe for those working.
The years long investigation into the owner, utilized an undercover informant that would purchase the drugs, which were then turned over to authorities to be used as evidence later. The Allen County-Scottsville Task Force originally received a complaint about the selling of narcotics in Summer of 2022.
With demolition already underway Tabor is confident that the demolition project should be complete within the week. No plans have been made public yet for what the lot will become. Tabor did note that this was the departments first time seizing estate property as they normally seize items like guns or vehicles. He also believes that due to the disrepair that the motel was in, that tearing it down will significantly improve the city scape and will be an attractive prospect for new business because of the lots location.
