By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Patrick Iannone said that he had been drinking heavily.
He admitted to throwing a punch.
But he maintained he had no clue who TV personality Bob Kelly was the night that he knocked out the Fox 29 “Good Day Philadelphia” host during a party July 30 at the Oar House Pub in Sea Isle City.
“I was not aware of who he was,” Iannone said of Kelly during a hearing Monday in state Superior Court.
In the latest twist in the highly publicized case, Iannone, of Sea Isle, appeared in court to plead guilty to assaulting Kelly. The plea deal will result in him getting probation and staying out of jail.
Iannone is scheduled to appear before Judge Christine Smith in Cape May Court House on Feb. 12 for sentencing. John Tumelty, Iannone’s attorney, said the length of probation will range from one to five years, depending on what Smith rules is appropriate.
“Patrick wants to get it worked out and resolved as quickly as possible,” Tumelty said in an interview after the hearing.
Inside the courtroom during the hearing, Smith asked Iannone a series of questions about his guilty plea, including the deal for probation to keep him out of jail.
“The only way you’ll see the door of a state prison is if you fail probation, which I expect you’re not going to do,” the judge told Iannone.
“I will not,” he replied.
As part of his guilty plea, Iannone, 22, will have to continue with anger management and alcohol counseling, Assistant Prosecutor Edward Shim told the judge. In addition, Iannone will not be allowed to have any contract with Kelly.
Shim said that Kelly plans to appear at Iannone’s sentencing and will address the court. Kelly suffered significant injuries when he was punched in the face by Iannone and briefly knocked unconscious. They include seeing spots in his injured left eye and having a scar underneath the eye, Shim said.
Iannone agreed to plead guilty to third-degree assault after his application to be enrolled into a pretrial intervention program was rejected by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office. However, the Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that he receive probation when he appears for sentencing, Shim said.
Tumelty said Kelly objected to having Iannone being placed in PTI, a diversionary program that allows criminal defendants to avoid prosecution altogether if they successfully complete a probationary period under close supervision. Kelly’s objection was a factor in Iannone being turned down for PTI, but not the only reason, Tumelty said.
“We recognized it was a longshot getting into PTI,” Tumelty said in the interview.
Before he punched Kelly, Iannone was involved in a simple assault last summer at the Dead Dog Saloon in Sea Isle City, Tumelty said. The case was handled in Municipal Court and ended with the charge being downgraded and Iannone paying a fine, according to Tumelty.
Although Iannone was rejected for PTI, there is the possibility he could ultimately have his criminal record expunged if he successfully completes his probation, Tumelty noted.
Dressed in a navy blazer, light blue tie and white shirt, Iannone stood beside Tumelty at the defense table when he pleaded guilty in front of Smith.
Tumelty guided Iannone through a series of questions, including one that resulted in Iannone revealing that he didn’t know who Kelly was when he punched him in the face at the Oar House Pub.
“You did not know him before that night?” Tumelty asked him.
“I was not aware of who he was,” Iannone responded.
“Did you go up to him while in the bar and punch him in the face?” Tumelty asked.
“Yes,” Iannone replied.
“There was no reason for you to do that. Is that correct?” Tumelty said.
“Yes,” Iannone replied.
Iannone admitted in court to drinking heavily the night he punched Kelly. He allegedly poured beer on Kelly and then punched him in the face while the Fox 29 “Good Day Philadelphia” reporter was emceeing a weekend party at the Oar House.
During the hearing Monday, Iannone was accompanied at the courthouse by his parents. His father, Joseph Iannone, is a Sea Isle real estate agent, while his mother, Rosemary Milano, is a retired Sea Isle police captain. Iannone and his parents declined to comment after the hearing.
In comments on Fox 29 a day after he was assaulted, Kelly labeled the incident a “frightening, disturbing event” that he thought may have been incited by a TikTok challenge in which people video themselves pouring beer or other liquids on celebrities.
Kelly was assaulted when he attempted to swat away the beer. He was punched so hard that he lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital for treatment of a badly swollen left eye.
Kelly regularly hosts a happy hour dance party at the Oar House on Wednesdays. He stepped in as host of the Wednesday night dance parties following the death in January of Philadelphia radio personality and music promoter Jerry Blavat, who had been a fixture at the Oar House for three years.
Oar House owner James Bennett and Kelly have collaborated for fundraising events at the bar and restaurant to benefit “Kelly’s Kidz,” a nonprofit charity founded by Kelly that supports St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.
