Judge issues permanent injunction against owner of Myrtle Beach’s infamous ‘Yellow House’
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – A house that documents show has been a drug haven in Myrtle Beach for several years will officially be closed for a year.
A judge granted a permanent injunction against Joe Rideoutte, the owner of the so-called Yellow House at 407 5th Avenue North.
The decision came after the state and Rideoutte’s defense attorney provided testimony and evidence during a non-jury trial back on Oct. 11, 2023.
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“After further review, the court finds the State has proven grounds for a permanent injunction prohibiting Defendant from operating a nuisance at the property,” according to the order filed on Friday.
Rideoutte has owned the Yellow House, which is now painted blue, for several years and has rented out rooms to tenants.
The house has also been under the microscope of the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the solicitor’s office after court filings show officers have been called to the house for deadly overdoses, a shooting and a stabbing.
Judges have also ordered four temporary injunctions against the property.
Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson explained a temporary injunction works like a public emergency, and that a building needs to be shut down until an official court date can be scheduled and all parties can meet on the matter.
He said a permanent injunction means that all parties involved have gone through the hearings and enough evidence has been heard in order to prove that the building needs to be shut down for a year.
Richardson added that there’s a possibility the Yellow House will be closed for more than a year and that Rideoutte will face criminal charges.
The next step is for the prosecuting attorney, James Battle, to draft up a proposed final order and email it to Rideoutte’s attorney before the court reviews it.
YELLOW HOUSE’S HISTORY
Since 2018, court filings have shown the Yellow House has a reputation for being a home where drugs are sold.
Most recently, an order filed in Sept. 2023 reveals it was the site of a shooting and stabbing in August.
While officers were at the home back in August, they noticed the poor living conditions and called the Myrtle Beach Code Enforcement to inspect it.
Code enforcement deemed the home uninhabitable, but documents state it didn’t stop people from living in the backyard of the home, and that people were living in makeshift tents and tarp huts.
Court filings also show a woman even delivered a stillborn in the backyard after investigators said she used heroin multiple times a day up to the birth.
A judge granted a temporary injunction against the house back on Nov. 6, and since that time police barricades have blocked people from getting on the property.
There are also signs at the home that state the building is closed due to nuisance activity.
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