Electrician Contractor in Mauldin, SC

ANDERSON, SOUTH CAROLINA — Beth Beamer, a/k/a Beth Ballard, 48, of Mauldin, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to theft of government property.

According to court documents, in October 2020, the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) received information from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office that Beth Beamer’s mother, Rena Beamer, reportedly went missing from her home in Mauldin on an unknown date in the summer of 2017. SSA-OIG learned that despite Rena Beamer being a missing person since 2017, her SSA Title II-Retirement benefits were still being paid and deposited into her bank account, to which Beth Beamer had access.

From May 2017 to May 2020, SSA electronically deposited benefits into Rena Beamer’s bank account. In May 2020, the benefits were suspended for SSA to develop a new address for Rena Beamer. On December 21, 2020, SSA received a phone call from an unknown female caller who identified herself as Rena Beamer and provided Rena’s name, date of birth, place of birth, and bank account number. Additionally, the caller, who was later identified as Beth Beamer, updated the mailing address to an address in North Carolina. This phone call caused the SSA to restart paying benefits into the bank account of Rena Beamer. SSA-OIG reviewed bank records for Rena Beamer’s bank account and determined that Beth Beamer was accessing the SSA payments and spending the money on herself.

In May 2021, Beth Beamer was arrested in North Carolina on South Carolina state charges of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult, Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult, Obstruction of an Investigation, Abuse or Neglect Resulting in Death, Unauthorized Removal of a Dead Body, and Destruction/Desecration of Human Remains. Upon her arrest, she was interviewed by Greenville County Sheriff’s Office deputies and SSA-OIG agents.

Regarding the theft of Rena Beamer’s SSA benefits, Beth Beamer stated that in August 2017, she had removed Rena Beamer’s dead body from their Mauldin home and thrown the body down a roadside embankment into a river near Tryon, North Carolina. She also said that she did not notify SSA of the death of Rena Beamer, that she called the SSA to impersonate Rena Beamer, and that she continued to receive the SSA benefits intended for Rena Beamer until May 2021. SSA-OIG determined that from August 2017 until May 2021, Beth Beamer received $69,909.40 of Social Security Administration Title II-Retirement benefits to which she was not entitled.

United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Beamer to 16 months in prison, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. Beamer was also ordered to pay $68,909.40 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. There is no parole in the federal system.

The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) investigated the case with the assistance of the Greenville County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Office; South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED); Lincoln County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCBI).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean H. Secor prosecuted the case.

Contact

Brook Andrews, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, brook.andrews@usdoj.gov, (803) 929-3000

Updated December 12, 2022

After only a year of being open, a popular Mauldin dog park bar was sold to new owners last week.

While the heart of the dog park bar will remain the same, according to the new owners, the name will change to “The Dapper Dog.”

Co-owner Stephanie Danielsson said the sale was completed last Tuesday after about a month of deliberating.

The Dapper Dog will offer boutique dog training services alongside the bark bar. It will be a “train-by-day, play-by-night concept,” she said, that she and co-owner Sean Martin hope will help build a safe, happy and confident environment for dogs and their owners.

In September, Danielsson and Martin decided to take one of their dogs, Blu, and grab a beer at Off The Chain, only to pull up to a “Closed for Renovations” sign. It wasn’t until later they learned from a former employee that the bar might be up for sale.

“We immediately reached out to the owners,” said Danielsson. “Sean is a dog trainer and has been considering opening his own business come the new year. We saw this as an opportunity to bring together the two concepts in one place. After a few weeks, we heard back and now, here we are.”

Danielsson said she and Martin have lived in Greenville for a little more than two years. They have four dogs and are excited for this new chapter.

“We were thrilled when Off The Chain opened in our neighborhood,” she said. “We’re excited to be a part of this growing community and continue to provide a space for our fellow dog lovers.”

Danielsson said, at first, the biggest change will be the addition of training services.

“We are really passionate about helping dog owners and their pups,” she added.

Training has allowed them to provide a better environment for their own dogs and create better relationships between the dogs they work with and their owners, she said. In the bark bar, they are hoping to provide extended hours and a variety of events.

“We have some other plans, but you’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store,” said Danielsson. “Sean and I are excited to contribute to our community and create a fun and comfortable place for pet owners and their four-legged friends. This is our chance to build the type of place we’ve always wanted to be able to spend time with friends and our dogs (anyone who knows us, knows we’re kind of obsessed with them) all while having a little fun along the way.”

Danielsson said they don’t have an official open date for the new concept but hope to be open before Thanksgiving to invite customers back before the holidays.

MAULDIN, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - We’re just three days away from Halloween, you might be looking for a spooky activity to do with family this weekend. If you’re too squeamish to go to a haunted house on foot, maybe you can drive by a few houses from your car.

For some people, spooky season is the best season.

“I just love Halloween. It’s my favorite of all time” said Mark Thompson, Haunted Castle of Mauldin owner.

You might not know Thompson, but you may have seen his house.

“A lot of people will stop and say I saw your house on TikTok” he said.

After a viral video with more than 5 million views-- car’s haven’t stopped driving by what Thompson has named, the Haunted Castle of Mauldin.

“I love haunted houses and so I kind of just wanted to have something really scary and really scare the kids, you know, make them cry and stuff” said Thompson.

Over 4 years of putting up the decorations, Thompson estimates he’s spent more than $40,000 dollars. He buys items throughout the year and starts to set up his display in September---and it’s all worth it he says.

“Oh I’ve had whole families crying, literally crying, screaming, crying. I hide behind one of these guys [in the yard], and they’re slowly driving but they’re looking at these things and they don’t see me and I come out” Thompson said while showing us his yard.

The Haunted Castle of Mauldin on Central Avenue has over 100 figures and monsters in the yard. While it might be the biggest, it not the only one, dozens of other upstate homes go all out for Halloween.

“We’ve gone big maybe three years in a row,” said Sullivan Williams.

For the Williams’ in the Verdmount neighborhood in Simpsonville, decorating is a family affair.

“I helped my Dad carry all this out here and I helped him undo a lot” she said.

They buy a new big item every year—this year’s item comes with a bite. It’s a 12-foot tall werewolf that growls.

“People they drive by, and if we’re out here they’ll be like, ‘oh my gosh, that’s so cool’,” said Williams. Her favorite part is seeing the people enjoy the decorations.

“Probably just for everyone to admire all the decorations and for everyone to just enjoy them with their family” she said.

Two homes on Fairfield Drive in Mauldin are also a big hit this year. But Mauldin’s Haunted Castle owner is sure—he can’t be beat.

“If there is a house that has more you know, I’d like to see it,” said Thompson.

Most of the homeowners we talked to told us they leave the decor up until right after Halloween and they typically start the lights around 6:30pm. So you still have time to drive by and check it out this weekend.

Copyright 2022 WHNS. All rights reserved.

MAULDIN, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Friday nights in Mauldin used to not look as busy- but that’s all changing.

The city of Mauldin, just like many other small cities just outside of Greenville, is growing rapidly. Mayor Terry Merritt says just in the last year, there’s been 6 to 8 new subdivisions built in the city. Now that they have the people, the city is working on ways to keep them there and keep them entertained.

“Typically Mauldin has been kind of an underserved community as far as the arts go,” said Jeannie Harmon, the Marketing Director for the Mauldin Cultural Center.

On the surface, it might not look like much is going on in the city of Mauldin but the Cultural Center has been the catalyst for what’s to come.

“There’s not a whole lot of big public spaces where you can just go and hang out and gather. So, the Mauldin Cultural Center provides that kind of community center” said Harmon.

The theater, dance, live music, and art class events draw in thousands of people.

Mauldin’s mayor Terry Merritt says it’s been like a hub for the city without a center.

“We had to build a sense of place, why do people want to come to Mauldin? There was nothing” said Merritt.

But there’s something coming. Mayor Merritt says the expectation is for the population to increase by around 14,000 over the next 2 years.

The multi-million dollar BridgeWay Station project is progressing, and so is the 6-acre city center facility. Both providing living units, restaurants, entertainment and retail.

“You now have a reason to come to Mauldin, now we gotta give you a reason to stay here after 9:30pm, so that’s what we’re working towards” said Merritt.

The Cultural Center that started it all, won’t be lost in all that’s to come

“We keep getting told like you also bring more programming, more things and we definitely love to. We have to grow as the community grows. So, every year we kind of add a little bit more” said Harmon.

The grand opening for BridgeWay Station is expected to be in the middle of next year, but they’ll start leasing apartments as soon as January. The cultural center has several more events coming up, you can check them out here.

Copyright 2022 WHNS. All rights reserved.

MAULDIN — The words that described what it felt like were hard to find, Mauldin volleyball coach Val Thoms said as her team celebrated on the court.

But there is one word to describe what Mauldin volleyball did Tuesday night:

Historic.

At home inside the Mauldin High School gymnasium the Maverick girls volleyball team defeated powerhouse Dorman 3-1 to win the Class AAAAA Upper State Championship and advance to the SCHSL state championship game for the first time in program history.

Mauldin plays the winner of Wando and Lexington — the Lower State champion — at 7 p.m. Saturday at Dreher High School in the state title game.

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Students, coaches and parents swarmed the court as soon as the final point was scored.

“It’s phenomenal,” Mauldin senior Jurnee Robinson said. "We’ve been trying for this the past four years. We just feel like now is our time and we’re going to win it. We’re going to give it all we got.”

Mauldin senior Anna Schneider said it was important for her team to finally get past the Cavaliers, who swept their postseason competition en route to the AAAAA state championship last season. That included a third-round playoff win over the Mavericks (31-7).

“It’s so surreal,” Schneider said. “It was so great playing on our home court, that meant so much to us. Those long years that we’ve lost to them … it really means a lot to get over this hump and be a great team.

“It just means so much. I literally can’t put it in to words.”

Robinson set the tone early and throughout the match. Her six kills in the first set allowed the Mavericks to take the set 25-18. The LSU volleyball commitment and 2021 all-state selection had 485 kills entering Tuesday’s state semifinal match and finished with 28 kills. Schneider had 15 kills.

After winning the first set, Mauldin dropped the second, 25-21, and Dorman (31-6) seemed to rebound well. But Mauldin took the third set and then won the fourth set, 25-19, to clinch the win. Dorman was led in kills by Carly O’Brien, who had 14 total in the match.

“We just told them, just be patient,” Thoms said she told her team after dropping the second set. “And we have to serve the ball in more, pass a little better out of serve-receive and then when were in system … we can’t be stopped. So, just take a couple deep breaths … and win it with our offense.”

Last season, Dorman defeated River Bluff to win the AAAAA state championship for the first time since 2017. Paula Kirkland, Dorman's legendary volleyball coach, has 14 state titles as head coach at Dorman and is one of two volleyball coaches in SCHSL history to win over 1,000 matches.

“It’s really kind of indescribable to be honest,” Thoms said. “I think its what this program needs – and what volleyball in this area needs. Because, Dorman is the name … I just think this proves; it doesn’t matter. We just go out, do your thing, be good athletes and anybody can beat anybody.”

Joe Dandron covers high school sports for The Greenville News.