The state Department of Health has immediately suspended the license of the Vagabond Motel located at 10005 South Tacoma Way in Lakewood because the motel poses a threat to guest safety. Investigators discovered the motel has been violating construction, maintenance, electrical, fire and safety codes and operating under unsanitary conditions.

A judge has ordered the facility vacated by March 14, and the motel may not offer room rentals until a hearing is held.

Conditions in the motel rooms include rats found inside and outside the units. Cockroach and ant infestations, mold, exposed electrical wiring, non-working smoke detectors, garbage piled inside the rooms and outside the motel, and other general unsanitary conditions were also found. The owner of the Vagabond Motel has 20 days to request a hearing and contest these charges.

Motels offering three or more units to guests for less than 30 days must be licensed by the state agency’s Facilities and Services Licensing Program. The program is responsible for licensing about 1,700 motels, hotels, inns, resorts and bed-and-breakfast facilities in the state, and enforces health and safety standards for those establishments.