Business

Bluffton event venue owner charged with operating without a license

The owner of a Beaufort County wedding venue and event space has been charged with operating a business without a license.

Bethany Boles Hewitt, 49, of Bluffton, was arrested for operating the business she owns, Hewitt Oaks, without a license. According to the South Carolina Department of Revenue, the venue’s license was revoked on Feb. 12 because of unpaid back taxes, but Boles Hewitt allegedly continued to operate events and weddings anyway.

If convicted, Boles Hewitt could be sentenced for up to 30 days in jail and/or a $200 fine. The DOR said she was being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center pending a bond hearing on Wednesday; inmate records show she was booked at 10:41 a.m. and released at 2:27 p.m.

The 25-acre Hewitt Oaks is located at 205 Stillwell Road near Pritchardville in Beaufort County. The property was scheduled to host an annual party for the Bluffton Self Help charity on Oct. 17, and a Spooky Soiree on Oct. 30.

Laura Finaldi
The Island Packet
Laura Finaldi is an award-winning reporter and editor whose career has taken her everywhere from manufacturing companies in Massachusetts to dairy farms in rural Florida. Before joining the Island Packet in 2025, she was an editor at Homes.com in Richmond, Virginia and covered retail and tourism in Sarasota, Florida for five years. She has been published in the Worcester Business Journal, the Richmonder, Virginia Business, the Boston Globe and USA Today. 
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