Rod Stewart and his son solve Florida hotel assault case
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(AP) — Rock icon Rod Stewart and his son have pleaded guilty to assault in an assault case stemming from a 2019 New Year’s Eve altercation with a security guard at an exclusive Florida hotel.
Court records released Friday show the singer and his son Sean Stewart pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery charges.
“No one was injured in the incident and a jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the charge,” his attorney Guy Fronstin said in a statement. “Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to plead to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that a highly publicized proceeding would entail.”
Stewart, 76, with a hoarse voice, is a British member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016. His hits include ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’, ‘You’re In My Heart”. “, “Hot Legs” and, probably his most famous song, “Maggie May”.
The plea agreement, dated and signed on Monday, means that Stewart and her son, 41, will not have to appear in court and formal prosecution arbitration has been put on hold. There will be no trial.
Neither will serve jail time or be required to pay fines and will not be placed on probation, Fronstin said.
The Stewarts were charged with a physical altercation with security guard Jessie Dixon at the luxurious Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach on December 31, 2019. The dispute involved Dixon’s refusal to allow them to attend a private New Year’s Eve party in the hotel.
Dixon said in court documents that Rod Stewart punched him in the rib cage with a clenched fist and Sean Stewart pushed him.
A spokesman for Palm Beach State’s Attorney Dave Aronberg, whose office is prosecuting the case, said in an email that Dixon agreed with the outcome of the case.
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