Man with pending burglary charge had resort’s master key

At Myrtle Beach Resort, the mostly older residents and vacation renters enjoy all the benefits of life in a resort town. The condominium complex, which includes hundreds of homes, affords residents access to the ocean, an onsite waterpark and a “winter room” that includes a jacuzzi and heated indoor pool.

But some there are frustrated after learning their property management company hired maintenance employees, some with connections to serious crimes, without screening them. At least one such employee had access to a master key that opened many of 267 homes in one part of the resort, which is located next to Ocean Lakes Campground on Kings Highway.

Amon Rasheem Rutledge was arrested in August 2014 on a trio of charges for attempted murder, criminal conspiracy and second degree burglary, according to records from the Georgetown County Public Index. Records indicate Rutledge pleaded guilty to the burglary charge on Oct. 25. Rutledge was sentenced with “time served of 46 days,” and prosecutors dropped the other two charges.

Steve Dame, a resident, said that Rutledge, then working as a maintenance employee, attempted to enter his condo on July 5 with a master key. Rutledge told him he was attempting to let in a plumber, though Dame said nobody but himself, Rutledge and his wife was present at the time.

Dame’s lock was specialized and did not fit the master key.

“I had no reason to believe he was lying,” Dame said, “but the problem is he had a criminal history, and he was trying to get into my unit by himself.”

Mel Renkey, the community manager for property management company First Service Residential, confirmed the incident Dame described. However, he said it was not an issue because Dame was present and there was no risk of opening the condo with the master key. Residents are free to change their locks if they wish, but then must provide management with a new, corresponding key, he said.

“Everything gets blown way, way out of proportion,” Renkey said.

He confirmed that Rutledge and one other man with connections to serious crime were hired at roughly the same time this summer and worked at Myrtle Beach Resort for about a month each. They occupied maintenance positions, and mainly dealt with trash collection and basic repairs, but were also sometimes responsible for letting residents into homes if they had been locked out, or letting workers like plumbers into homes.

Renkey said he was not with the company at the time of the hires, but that the standard policy said employees should not be allowed on payroll before their background checks and drug tests were completed.

The two hires had serious pending criminal charges, however. In addition to Rutledge’s history, Demond Hannah, the other initial hire, had been arrested on two previous domestic violence charges in 2015, one of which was dismissed and the other which was remanded to family court.

“They were supposed to be vetted,” Renkey said. “Apparently they weren’t, obviously. When I found out about it, I got rid of both of them immediately.”

But a third employee, Mark Anthony Baldoni, was hired after Rutledge and Hannah had been fired. Renkey said Baldoni was vetted by “someone in HR” at First Service instead of the typical contractor used to do background checks. First Service did not return a phone message to its Myrtle Beach office Tuesday.

“Baldoni was actually hired when I was here,” Renkey said, “and then we immediately, within a day or two, we got a report and then we discovered that he actually did have a record.”

Baldoni was arrested on July 28 on a larceny charge, and then arrested July 29 and charged with unlawfully carrying a pistol and possession of a controlled substance, according to the public index. Renkey said he was put on unpaid leave within two or three days of beginning to work at the resort. A few days later he was fired. Horry County records show that his criminal charges are still pending.

When a reporter from The Sun News followed up with Renkey to confirm the exact dates of the three men’s employment, the date that Rutledge attempted to enter Dame’s apartment and other details, Renkey declined to give further information on the matter.

An email to Glenn “Rusty” Magill, the property manager immediately prior to Renkey, was not returned. The Sun News was also unable to reach Magill at a phone number listed under his name.

Some residents in the resort, many of whom have permanent addresses elsewhere, remained concerned about First Service’s hiring practices. Homeowner Mark Dos Santos, who does not live at Myrtle Beach Resort ful ltime, said the situation was “disconcerting.”

“It’s extremely disturbing for residents,” Dos Santos said. “How can people sleep at night?”

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Man with pending burglary charge had resort’s master key."