How a Hilton Head trespassing arrest led to social media firestorm
What started one Sunday evening with a trespassing arrest turned into a social media battle pitting a popular island bar against the local music community.
On Sunday, March 1 just after 5:30 p.m., a manager at Tiki Hut on S. Forest Beach Drive called the police on Nathaniel Kyle Douglas, a local drummer who was at the bar despite a ban from May 2018 for “suspicious activity,” according to reports from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Douglas was arrested March 1 for trespassing and booked into the Beaufort County jail later that night.
The arrest of 30-year-old Douglas, who is well-known in the Hilton Head music scene, created a social media firestorm and a headache for one of the island’s most popular beachfront bars. At the heart of the matter are claims from Douglas’ friends who say despite his ban, the drummer has performed at Tiki Hut several times since 2018.
After his arrest, social media feeds across the Lowcountry were flooded with Facebook and Instagram posts in support of Douglas. One-star Google reviews for Tiki Hut, long posts defending Douglas, a GoFundMe to help with attorney’s fees and even a video of “the island’s favorite trespasser” performing at Brother Shucker’s Bar & Grill days later all followed his arrest.
Drummer’s supporters take to social media
As of Wednesday, Tiki Hut had its social media comments limited and at times invisible. A review of the Tiki Hut Facebook page by the Island Packet found visitors could see how many comments were posted, but could not see all the comments themselves, even when filtered for “all comments.”
One person who posted in support of Douglas was Roby Breger, a local boat captain who met Douglas about 10 years ago through mutual friends. Breger said he has been to Tiki Hut to see Douglas perform over the past few months. He knew about Douglas’ ban, but after seeing him play there, Breger said he figured it had been resolved.
“I distinctly remember being there when Nate was playing, and thinking ‘I guess they must have worked things out,’” Breger said.
Arrested after going to Tiki Hut
The night before his arrest, Douglas played a show at Tiki Hut with musician Anna Barnes, Breger said. Posts on Barnes’ social media page indicate she was scheduled to play a show at Tiki Hut Feb. 28; the musician did not return an email requesting more information, but she did issue a statement in support of Douglas on Facebook.
Breger wasn’t there when Douglas was arrested, he said. But from what he heard, Douglas went back to Tiki Hut March 1 to watch local band CornBreD play. That was when he was arrested, Breger said.
“While he was up there, the Beaufort County sheriff said, ‘are you Nate Douglas?’ He said, ‘yes, that’s me,’” Breger said. “They arrested him with no warning. They didn’t say ‘you need to leave the premises.’”
Taryn Scher, a spokesperson for the Beach House Hilton Head Island, which houses Tiki Hut, said Douglas was in fact asked to leave March 1 before authorities were contacted.
When asked if Douglas had been hired to perform at Tiki Hut since his ban, Scher said “he may have been hired by the bands that were playing, but Tiki Hut never hired him directly.” An email asking why Douglas would be allowed to perform at the bar in the past despite being banned was not returned.
The police report did not provide specifics on whether Douglas was asked to leave by staff before his arrest. Lt. Daniel Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said no further details were available beyond what was in the report.
No response from Tiki Hut
The Island Packet stopped by Tiki Hut on Wednesday afternoon and was told management was tied up and unavailable to talk. A reporter left a business card but no one from Tiki Hut had called as of Thursday morning.
In a brief phone call with the Island Packet Wednesday, Douglas declined to get into the details of the situation for legal reasons. But he did say the fervor was starting to calm down.
“I’m thankful to the whole community for having my back,” he said.
Why was he banned in the first place?
According to the police report detailing the 2018 incident, a Tiki Hut manager said Douglas was involved in “suspicious activity” at the property that was “not conducive to a family atmosphere management is advertising for the business.” Douglas was issued a trespass after the notice, the report said; he did not agree with the sanctions but understood the consequences, it said.
A search of the Beaufort County public index did not show any criminal charges for Douglas related to the 2018 incident. Allen of BCSO said no further details were available about the 2018 incident beyond what was in the police report.
After his March 1 arrest, Douglas was released from jail the next day at 10:03 a.m. He is charged with trespassing/entering premises after warning or refusing to leave on request; the charges are listed as pending in the Beaufort County public index.
A hearing is scheduled for March 24 at 10 a.m.
Island Packet staff member Evan McKenna contributed reporting