Rod Stewart and son take plea deal after New Year’s Eve confrontation in Palm Beach County
Rod Stewart’s last hit from South Florida wasn’t the “Atlantic Crossing” or “A Night on the Town” albums, or their singles “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” or “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),“ though parts of these oldies were recorded at North Miami’s Criteria Studios.
But one night on the town Stewart is probably sick of talking about, and that stems from a hit to the chest, is nearing its end.
According to court records, British rocker Stewart, 76, and his son, Sean Roderick Stewart, 40, have a March 26 court date before Palm Beach County Circuit Judge August Bonavita. This should finally wrap a case against the pair stemming from a Dec. 31, 2019 confrontation at The Breakers during a New Year’s Eve party.
But don’t expect a celebrity sighting.
The Stewarts accepted a plea deal with Assistant State Attorney Zachary O’Neill over simple battery, or misdemeanor, charges after they were accused of roughing up a security guard at the party after he denied them entry to one of the hotel’s ballrooms.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel first reported Friday that a plea deal in the Stewarts’ case has been negotiated and accepted by the 15th Judicial Court of Palm Beach County.
The terms of the deal that pit Rod and Sean Stewart against the Breakers’ guard, Jessie Dixon, 34, were not disclosed.
The March court date, to finalize the deal, is to feature Guy Fronstin, the Boca Raton lawyer representing the Stewarts, O’Neill and other counsel. The hearing will be conducted via Zoom due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, according to court records. A trial is thus not likely.
“It sounds like everything’s been worked out,” attorney Alexandra Antonacci, speaking on behalf of Fronstin, told the Sun Sentinel.
A night at the Breakers
This legalese all derives from a New Year’s Eve party that ushered in 2020.
According to the original probable cause affidavit, the guard, Dixon, saw the Stewarts approaching a check-in table but he told them they were not authorized to be there.
The group started “to get loud and cause a scene” and refused Dixon’s demands that they leave. Stewart’s son Sean “got about nose to nose distance” from the security guard’s face, according to the report.
Police say the younger Stewart shoved Dixon backward after Dixon put his right hand on Sean’s chest and told him he needed to back up and give him some space.
Rod — identified on the arrest report by his full name, Roderick David Stewart — allegedly stepped forward and threw a punch at the security guard, hitting Dixon in his left ribcage area, according to the affidavit.
“Rod Stewart apologized for his behavior in the incident,” the affidavit said.
Stewart wasn’t just jetting in for the party. He has a home in Palm Beach County — “my favorite place to be,” he told the Miami Herald in a 2015 interview.
This story was originally published January 30, 2021 at 10:53 AM.
