Warrants: Myrtle Beach strip club was operated as ‘brothel,’ owners among 7 charged

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) – Warrants obtained by WBTW say a gentlemen’s club at the center of a prostitution investigation was operated as a “brothel” and the owners are among the seven people charged.

The warrants state David Joseph Bean and Jacey Lynn Birch are the owners of Derrieres Gentlemen’s Club on Seaboard Street and allege Bean and Birch “did keep or set up a house of ill fame, Brothel, or brawdyhouse.”

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Charges for Bean, 66, of Myrtle Beach, include 183 counts of prostitution and one count of failure to report in connection with the shooting in January, Myrtle Beach police said on Friday. Charges for Birch, 41, of Conway, include 183 counts of prostitution and one count of failure to report in connection with a shooting in January.

According to Myrtle Beach police, five others are charged in the case:

• Joseph Bryan Hargadon, 62, of Longs – 61 counts of prostitution
• Heather Gay Beall, 35, of North Myrtle Beach – 31 counts of prostitution
• Matthew Jason Gough, 33, of Myrtle Beach – 21 counts of prostitution
• Eliza Blu Rivera, 30, of Miami, FL – 16 counts of prostitution
• Alexis Gail Morris, 21, of Conway – two counts of prostitution

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Officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department were on the scene Friday afternoon at Derrieres Gentlemen’s Club on Seaboard Street serving a search warrant.

Police say when they were investigating a shooting on Jan. 1, they uncovered evidence of additional criminal activity at the business.

A separate case was opened, and police identified more than 200 acts of apparent prostitution at the location. The acts involved multiple employees who participated in, or facilitated, the acts, police said.

“These hotbeds of criminal activity erode the safety of our residents and visitors,” said Chief Amy Prock. “The business was operating as a brothel as defined by South Carolina Law. We will not tolerate businesses who encourage or allow this kind of behavior.”