What’s next for Myrtle Beach’s Yellow House? Officials weigh in after permanent injunction granted

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Amid its fourth shutdown, Myrtle Beach city leaders are exploring the option of demolishing the Yellow House after years of ongoing criminal activity.

Over the past several years, judges granted temporary injunctions against the home.

15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson explained temporary injunctions work like a public emergency. It forces a building to shut down until an official court date can be scheduled.

He said a permanent injunction means all parties have gone through hearings and enough evidence has been heard to prove the building must shut down for a year.

Richardson said there’s a possibility the Yellow House will be closed for more than a year and that its owner, Joe Rideoutte, could face criminal charges.

Court filings show Rideoutte has owned the home on 5th Avenue North for several years and rented rooms to tenants.

Most recently, court documents show the Yellow House, which is now painted blue, was the site of a shooting and stabbing in August 2023.

Filings also reveal a woman delivered a stillborn in the backyard of the home after investigators said she used heroin multiple times a day.

Code enforcement deemed the home uninhabitable and police barricades now surround the home, after a judge granted a temporary injunction in November 2023.

Some nearby residents like Fabian Brown want to see the city demolish the home for good.

“I’m moving because of it. I’m moving because there’s too much activity going on here that I don’t want to be around,” Brown said.

It’s something city officials said is still on the table, but won’t be an easy process.

“I know construction services has been looking at it,” Myrtle Beach Assistant City Manager, Josh Breuegger, said. “I know we’re not at this point to that level of trying to demolish it, but that’s a remedy that’s out there in city ordinances.”

Rideouette’s defense attorney sent WMBF Investigates a statement regarding the recent filing.

“We respect the decision of the Court and will continue to attempt to resolve any issues that affects the public. However, the Courts ruling today has no impact other than to expend taxpayers resources by Myrtle Beach because the penalty of closing the house for a year has already expired.

Thus, while MBPD can claim a victory in Court proceedings, they need to justify to the tax payers why they continue to seek useless redress than stems from a 5 year old case costing tens of thousands of dollars with no effect.

During the last claim of victory in shutting down a nuisance down at this location, they quit patrolling the area and a gang moved into the house and destroyed the interior leaving the city currently in litigation over the order they sought and were granted.

At some point, the elected officials have to take a better more decisive action to combat the social crisis instead of chasing a pipe dream that closing private small businesses down will make anyone safer. The streets of Myrtle Beach are no safer today than they were yesterday and the tax payers are the victims paying the bill.

We all want safer streets and better jobs Myrtle Beach isn’t the only one that’s cornered the market on going about it the wrong way.”

Stay with WMBF Investigates for updates.