NO JAIL for Rod Stewart and son Sean as duo plead guilty to battery
Rock legend Rod Stewart and his son will be spared jail time even after they pleaded guilty to battery stemming from a 2019 assault case where the duo tussled with a security guard at a Florida hotel.
The 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy' singer and his son Sean Stewart entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges of simple battery, court records released on Friday, December 17, showed. "No one was injured in the incident and a jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the accusation," his attorney Guy Fronstin said in a statement. "Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to enter a plea to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that a high profile proceeding would cause."
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Previously, the father and son were facing up to a year in jail. However, after they entered into a plea agreement on Monday, Rod, 76, and his son, 41, won't have to appear in court and formal adjudication of the charge was withheld. They will also no longer be facing a trial. According to Fronstin, they will not be doing any jail time or be paying any monetary penalties, or placed on probation for their behavior.
What were the Stewarts accused of?
The Stewarts were accused of getting into a physical altercation with security guard, Jessie Dixon, at the luxury Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. The dispute which took place on December 31, 2019, was over Dixon's refusal to allow them into a private New Year's Eve party at the hotel. In the court papers filed by Dixon, Rod was revealed to have punched Dixon in the rib cage with a closed fist. Sean, on the other hand, reportedly shoved the guard.
A spokesperson for Dave Aronberg, Palm Beach State Attorney whose office prosecuted the case, said in an email that Dixon agreed with the outcome of the case. Surveillance footage obtained from the hotel shows Rod, wearing his trademark gold lame dinner jacket as he delivered a right hook to Dixon, 35, after the latter appeared to have pushed Sean. The altercation happened seconds after the 'Stay With Me' singer mocked the security guard who refused to give access to Stewart's family members, including wife Penny Lancaster along with their two boys, 15-year-old Alastair and Aiden, 9, when they requested to go out to an outdoor playground.
Stewart performed 'Hitler salute'
Rod, who is a British member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016, also appeared to perform what appeared to be a Hitler salute with his right arm extended above his head while fingers of his left hand made a Hitler-style moustache. The father and son were arrested and briefly jailed.
The guard told police that the pair were part of a group that “began to get loud and cause a scene” when they were denied access to a private party. The affidavit states that the British singer apologized for his behavior, explaining that he became agitated after the security guard was argumentative.