Rod Stewart And His Son Reach Plea Deal To Have Battery Charges Dropped, Avoid Jail Time
Rod Stewart and his son Sean Stewart will avoid jail time and a trial that was set to start this coming week over an alleged battery that went down two years ago at a Palm Beach resort.
The Daily Mail reported Friday afternoon that Stewart’s legal team reached a deal with prosecutors earlier in the week in which Stewart and his son Sean are now expected to plead no contest to the charge they were facing of simple battery.
The outlet reported that the “Maggie May” singer and his son were charged with one misdemeanor count each after the two were caught on surveillance cameras throwing a punch at a security guard at a Palm Beach resort on the night of December 31, 2019.
Because the two agreed to plead no contest, Stewart and his 40-year-old son Sean have reportedly dodged a conviction, a criminal record, and time behind bars - according to their lawyer Guy Fronstin.
According to court documents, the trial that was set to begin on Tuesday has been canceled. Rather than go to trial, Judge August Bonavita is anticipated to sign off on this week’s new deal in late October before officially closing the case.
“A resolution that's acceptable to all parties has been reached,” Stewart’s lawyer said this week. “It will result in no jail time for both my clients. He's a first-time offender. It's just silly to send him to jail.”
The hotel's surveillance footage of the incident last year reportedly showed Stewart throwing a punch at the security guard’s face after allegedly pushing Sean Stewart. The security guard in question has since been identified as 35-year-old Jessie Dixon.
Stewart then allegedly made a Hitler salute with his right arm and then used the fingers of his left hand to re-create a Hitler-style moustache. The father and son were ultimately arrested after the incident and placed in jail briefly.
“Our mission is to uphold the law, regardless of socio-economic or celebrity status,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said this week. “My prosecutors based their decisions in this case, as all other cases, solely on the facts and the law.”
This week’s plea deal reportedly became possible because, according to Dixon's lawyer, they were able to reach an agreement with the Stewarts regarding compensation – although the amount of that compensation has not been publicly disclosed.
“The civil issue has been resolved – a full agreement has been made,” Gawayne Kelly, Dixon’s lawyer, said this week. “My client is going to sign the appropriate documentation to allow the prosecutor to enter whatever agreement they want to with Mr. Stewart.”
Rod Stewart himself has not made any statements or comments regarding the incident or this week’s plea deal.
