Deputies shutdown 'private' Bluffton, SC club

By RENEE DUDLEY
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Published Wednesday, January 27, 2010

An after-hours nightclub in Bluffton -- apparently operated by a man who has had a number of unusual encounters with the law -- was shut down earlier this month for violating liquor laws and operating without a business license.

Preston Oates, 26, of Bluffton, was arrested on charges of operating without a permit and simple possession of marijuana Jan. 16, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report released Wednesday.

Oates' "Club Moda" -- which also was called "A Private Place" -- was shut down the same night, according to the report. The club, which had been operating since at least October without a state alcohol license or a Beaufort County business license, is located at 11 Commercial Place, a business park near Burnt Church Road.

Oates could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Club Moda apparently attracted its clientele through social networking Web sites such as Facebook and Craigslist. One recent Facebook post advertises a James Bond-themed New Years party. "As the only after hours club, we party till sun-rise!!" the post says. "... we're bringing Bluffton the new and fresh."

In November it advertised an event called "Blackout Wednesday," which featured beer pong, a popular drinking game that involves throwing ping-pong balls into cups.

"The sexy lounge up front offers plenty of comfy couch space to relax and mingle like you're single," according to the post.

In another post in early November, Oates writes, "If you can't make this event, tell your friends!!! It's something to do in this boring a-- town."

The posts advertise the club as "members only." Members are required to pay $20 then may drink for free throughout the night.

GETTING IN

Undercover deputies apparently had no trouble getting in, according to the Sheriff's Office report.

A deputy went in around 2 a.m. on Jan. 16, the report said. Once inside, a woman asked him to fill out a "membership form" and requested permission to photocopy his S.C. driver's license, the report said. She charged him $10 to get in, it said.

The deputy then headed to the bar, where a bartender who identified himself as "Jersey" charged him another $10 for a wristband for unlimited drinks throughout the night, the report said. The deputy ordered a Jim Beam and Coke. Jersey described the layout of the club to the deputy, according to the report.

It had several rooms. The two main rooms were a lounge with couches and tables near the main bar and a large dance floor with a DJ booth. There was also a second bar.

A long hallway led to another room labeled "Paul's Place," which had a poker table inside, the report said.

Another room, labeled "Charlotte Suite,""was a completely furnished bedroom that had a bed, dresser, coffee table and couch," according to a separate Sheriff's Office report written after deputies obtained a search warrant. They found small amounts of cocaine and marijuana there.

A storage room contained beer, wine, liquor, drink mixers, Club Moda membership forms and wristbands, among other things, the report said.

The deputy left around 3:30 a.m. and returned just after 11 p.m. to arrest Oates, according to the report. He was at the club with two employees -- Jersey and a woman, the report said.

'STRAIGHT-UP PARTYING'

Oates told investigators he leased the space to store items that had been in his garage, including poker tables, dance floor lights and DJ equipment, the report said.

He said his "neighbors were getting upset" because the parties he threw at home caused a disturbance, according to the report. "...So he decided to start having them at 11 Commercial Place."

He said Club Moda was "simply a place where he would occasionally have a party with his friends," the report said. He told investigators he was unaware people were being charged to enter.

He said he does not sell alcohol at Club Moda, telling investigators he "is a person buying alcohol from retail liquor stores and giving it away."

In an interview with The Island Packet Wednsday, a man -- who said he'd been to the club twice and asked that his name not be used -- said members are provided with free house liquor but must pay for more expensive alcohol. He said the club had a different attraction each night, including Tuesday night poker.

"Friday and Saturday were straight-up partying," he said.

While investigators were conducting interviews before arresting Oates, several people tried to get into the club. When deputies told them it was closed, they replied, "that the club is always open and that they were members," the report said.

Authorities seized 96 bottles of liquor, 27 bottles of wine, 260 cans and one keg of beer and a .40 caliber pistol, among other things, according to the reports.

Oates was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center and released on his own recognizance the next day. He is scheduled to appearin Bluffton Magistrate Court on Feb. 24.

THE BACKGROUND

Oates, owner of Pro-Tow, a Bluffton tow truck company, has had a number of run-ins with the law.

In July 2008, he was accused of firing a gun at three men at a Hilton Head Island mobile home park during a car repossession attempt, police reports said.

In November of that year, he was stabbed in the abdomen following a dispute in another mobile home park on the island.

In December 2007, he was charged with assault and battery during a dispute with a man whose vehicle he was towing in Bluffton, according to police reports.

His tow truck company has been criticized for what some characterized as arbitrarily putting traffic boots on cars, police reports have said.

But he's also been on the other side of the law.

In April 2008, he called deputies after his girlfriend noticed child pornography in plain view inside a van that had been towed to his company's impound lot.

The van's owner later faced a number of charges in connection with the pornographic material.

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1117148.html