Developer behind infamous pink ‘TRAP’ church arrested again in South Carolina

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, October 01, 2026

The former owner of a South Carolina church who once made headlines for painting it pink and writing "TRAP" above its entrance has been arrested after allegedly causing thousands of dollars in damage to a truck, according to an arrest warrant.

Authorities say Ronald Dean Rallis Jr., 47, was arrested on Sept. 25 by Folly Beach police on a warrant issued out of Greenville County, and was transferred to Greenville County custody on Monday. Deputies gathered evidence that the developer had reportedly caused damage to a truck belonging to his brother, Justus Rallis, during an incident at their mother's residence on Old Parker Road, FOX Carolina News reported.

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office charged Rallis with malicious injury to personal property valued at $2,000 or less. According to deputies, Rallis damaged the hood, windshield and the windshield wiper arm of someone else's car, with the repairs estimated to cost $1,000. The arrest warrant also notes that Rallis has a prior conviction for economic crimes.

Rallis previously attracted media attention in 2022 after he painted the former home of Bibleway Full Gospel Missionary Baptist Church pink, having purchased the building months earlier. The developer had purchased the church and accompanying land for $425,000, The Post and Courier reported in 2022.

The real estate developer painted the church pink and wrote the word "TRAP" on the building. In front of the building, there was a mock police cruiser covered in pink at the entrance, as well as a pink-painted oven on the steps of the former church.

Painting the church pink was reportedly meant to bring attention to Republican U.S. Rep. William Timmons, whom Rallis accused of breaking up his marriage. Rallis also told WYFF News 4 in 2022 that he painted the building pink because his Instagram was shut down.

The transformation of the building also appears to have been a reference to the "trap house" that rapper 2 Chainz painted pink to promote his 2017 record, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music.

WYFF News 4 spoke with residents in the Woodside community of Greenville in 2022, many of whom were unsure why the church building had been painted pink.

"I don't know; the sentiment behind it seems kind of off. It's definitely very weird. ... But I hope whatever this development ends up becoming is something that is accessible for neighbors and something that everyone can be a part of and benefit from," Business Owner Dayna Lee told the outlet at the time.

"This is really cool. I love the color. Pink is a great color, but this is definitely a lot," Lee added.

Locals like Madison Glenn noted the building's resemblance to the Trap Museum in Atlanta, which is celebrated as the world's first museum dedicated to trap music and culture.

"I feel like it is something new, but at the same time, if they are going to bring this, they could have brought it with a different building, because a church as a Trap Museum that is just not a good idea," Glenn told the news outlet in 2022.

The Bibleway Full Gospel Missionary Baptist Church held its final service in the building on June 19, 2022. The building caught fire in June 2025, and Greenville County subsequently ordered it demolished, though Rallis later sought unsuccessfully to have the now-vacant site rezoned for commercial use.

In addition to attracting media attention for painting the church building pink, Rallis was in the news in October 2025 following his arrest in a Charleston-area beach town.

Folly Beach Police arrested the real estate developer on Oct. 8, 2025, and charged him with driving under the influence and child endangerment, according to incident reports cited by The Post and Courier.

Police arrested Rallis after a crash at an intersection on the island that did not result in any injuries, with officers noting that Rallis appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time.

In addition to the DUI charge, Rallis was charged with child endangerment because his 4-year-old daughter was in the car with him at the time of the incident, according to a supplemental incident report. Rallis was arrested and booked into jail, while his daughter was released into the custody of an unidentified individual.