By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Former Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC) CEO Larry Holman was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 6, and charged with Trespassing while outside of the BCBCC building in downtown Beaufort.
Holman, who served as the CEO of the BCBCC for 22 years, was allegedly outside of the building on a bench when he was arrested by the Beaufort Police Department and charged with Trespassing. He was released on a personal recognizance bond later in the day on Feb. 6.
According to a post made by his son, Kevin G. Holman, on Facebook, his father was allegedly trying to get items of his personal property that he says the BCBCC “has illegally stolen and withheld from him after showing documents to prove it was his personal property.”
Allegedly, the reason Holman was near the Chamber is because the property in question was being moved and potentially sold, which cannot happen because it is in court, so he was taking pictures through the window from the sidewalk to send to his lawyer.
He was arrested for allegedly violating a no trespass order against him, but supporters of Holman who wish to not be named in the newspaper have said that he was allegedly sitting on the art bench outside of the Chamber, which is considered public property.
The no trespass order was originally filed against Holman in 2023.
The Chamber terminated Holman’s contract and that of his son, who was the Director of Programs and Events, in June 2023 after the board voted to remove them.
The BCBCC is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1999 to support and foster minority-owned businesses in Beaufort County.
In July 2023, the Chamber hired Marilyn Harris as their new CEO.
Holman is currently scheduled to appear in Criminal and Traffic Court on March 24, 2025, at 3 p.m. according to the Public Index at press time on Tuesday afternoon.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
