MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A local blogger is stirring up some controversy after last week’s meeting with Myrtle Beach Police on the city’s heroin epidemic.
The blogger’s post was about the Blossom Inn, a motel in Myrtle Beach, and it claims the property is contributing to the city’s heroin problem.
It was posted by David Hucks on Myrtlebeachsc.com, and Tuesday the owner of Blossom Inn, Elena Lautman, went before Myrtle Beach City Council to ask for help.
Lautman says the article has been shared many times, and it is completely false.
Hucks claimed in his article Blossom Inn was a key association to the Myrtle Beach heroin epidemic. News13 asked him where he got that information, and Hucks said he couldn’t say.
“It was totally outrageous and totally unfounded. I mean, get the facts, go speak to the police department. We’ve never had arrests connected with heroin,” said Lautman.
In the blog, Hucks quotes local businessman Shai David, a man who was charged with attempted murder after reportedly shooting at a hotel owner in November of 2015. David is quoted saying the Blossom Inn is the heroin capital of Myrtle Beach. Hucks says he got that quote back in 2015.
News13 searched through Myrtle Beach police reports and for the last year we found no incident reports, no arrests, and no heroin overdoses associated with the property.
Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pederson addressed Huck’s article in an email exchange we got from the city. In part, it says:“David – The City has been very clear that it regards the heroin problem seriously. While your story cited the Blossom Inn as the biggest manufacturing and distribution location in South Carolina, we have no evidence to support that contention. Your own readers indicated today that your report is erroneous.”
Lautman says she’s already lost two tenants because of the article.
News13 spoke with Hucks multiple times Wednesday, and he refused to go on camera, give us a statement, or tell us where he got his facts.
He said he reached out to Ms. Lautman multiple times for comment on his article, but she refused to comment.