Owners of notorious ‘yellow house’ want Myrtle Beach to pay for damage to property
The owners of a notorious Myrtle Beach house known for drug and criminal activity are suing police for property damage suffered while the house was under police control.
The 5th Avenue North home, known in the community as the “yellow house,” has a track record of inhabitants using drugs and engaging in prostitution. In 2019, South Carolina temporarily shut down the house for a year under the “nuisance” laws. That shut down ended in February. Earlier this month, after a string of overdose deaths at the house, the state filed to close the property for another year.
Now, owners Joseph Rideoutte Jr. and Joseph Rideoutte Sr are suing state solicitor Jimmy Richardson and Myrtle Beach police over damage done to the house during the time it was shut down.
During the time police possessed the house, which has since been painted blue, there were numerous break-ins and trespassers as well as homeless people residing in the dwelling, the lawsuit states. Police knew this was an issue and alerted Rideoutte Jr. but the suit states that police did nothing to increase security of the property.
According to court documents, police wanted to deem the house “uninhabitable” during the time they possessed it but the house had never had that designation before, meaning the conditions worsened under their watch, according to the suit.
The owners believe the house was damaged to the point that they will need to hire contractors and others to return it to its prior condition, and they want the city to pay for it, according to the suit.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 12:30 PM.
