The Wallace family of Myrtle Beach were thrilled in 2001 as they moved into their new home on 1208 Ragin Street in Myrtle Beach. However, less than 3 months after moving in, family members began getting sick with unexplained illnesses.
The neighborhood has also witnessed crime issues ongoing. The house is located in downtown Myrtle Beach. Just this week, this very neighborhood was the scene of a violent crime, when Jadasia Myers, 22, died as a result of a gunshot wound. Her then-unborn child was delivered, but did not survive. The shooting happened just down the street from the former Wallace home.
Nightmares like these have been compounded by mold issues discovered right after the Wallace family moved into the house. The family says they could have been spared years of suffering had the city of Myrtle Beach simply provided an official C.O. on the home. The city never issued the Wallace family a certificate of occupancy. The Wallace family moved in 16 years ago assuming that the certificate of occupancy had been issued. At that time, no city official advised differently.
That one key missed event is central in a spiral of other events that have haunted the Wallace family for now almost 17 years.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
The Wallace family claims the city has been unwilling to take responsibility for not issuing a certificate of occupancy. Rather, City Manager John Pedersen is now seeking leverage by asking the family to sign a release. For a small financial consideration, that the family says does not meet the standard of fair, the city is asking the family to sign a document releasing the city from all harm. While the family remains homeless, they refuse to sign.
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
We reached out to City Manager John Pedersen asking him to provide the city’s viewpoint on this matter. The city declined to respond.
“No comment” has been a constant response from the city manager when we have reached out to the city for responses on a host of issues that include: The new library (Eminent Domain), Ocean Bacteria, Crime, Policing, Barricades, issues with downtown merchants and more.
The city has taken a different approach, however, creating the city’s own “news site?” called Myrtle Beach Point Of View. In a quote to WMBFnews, Myrtle Beach City Councilwoman Mary Jeffcoat stated, “It’s a way for people to dig deeper into a topic perhaps that they’ve seen in traditional media, or a way to, if they see some things on social media or on non-conventional news outlets, say, ‘That really seems strange.’ Well you can go to Myrtle Beach Point of View and at least see the facts that the city is pointing out.”
The Wallace family has a litany of unanswered questions and facts. You can see those in a timeline of what happened here:
