After complaints from family, Hilton Head vacationer cited for public nudity at beach

A vacationer was charged with indecent exposure Tuesday after allegedly exposing himself at a Hilton Head beach, eliciting complaints from a nearby family.

Deputies were called to Fish Haul Beach on the island’s north end around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday with a complaint that a visitor was exposing himself “near children.” The callers led police to the man, who was in a beach chair about 100 yards west of the entrance.

“A family of four was sitting behind the suspect and were getting quite the show,” read an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The man was reportedly lounging on his side with his blue swim trunks pulled down to expose his buttocks and scrotum through the bottom of the chair, according to department spokesperson Master Sgt. Danny Allen.

The officer approached the man and asked him to pull his pants up, identifying the man as James Michael Neubauer, a 58-year-old resident of Goodrich, Michigan. As the beachgoer stood up, a bottle of Miller Lite beer was found underneath him.

Neubauer was cited for nudity and alcohol on a beach, two violations of the Town of Hilton Head Island’s code of ordinances. The deputy detained and released him on a courtesy summons, meaning he was not sent to jail but is still required to follow the charges through court, Allen said.

Allen said police weren’t sure if Neubauer had been exposing himself purposefully; the man told police he “was just trying to relax and meant no ill or malicious intent.” Fish Haul Beach is typically a less popular destination for visitors and was not crowded at the time of the incident, Allen added.

Public records indicate Neubauer has owned property on Hilton Head since at least the ‘80s but hadn’t lived on the island full-time since 2010.

Court proceedings for Neubauer’s ordinance violations are scheduled for July 9 in Bluffton Magistrate Court.