Joey Chestnut Battery Charge

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) — Competitive eater Joey Chestnut has been sentenced to 180 days of probation in Hamilton County after pleading guilty to two counts of battery.

Chestnut’s charges stem from an incident that occurred at a bar in Westfield two months ago.

On Saturday, March 21, the Westfield Police Department said they got a call from a person who said that Chestnut slapped him in the face at Joe’s Grille on Spring Mill Rd.

Court documents show that Chestnut was sentenced on April 20 to 180 days in jail, with all of it suspended. He was also sentenced to 180 days of probation.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Josh Kocher told WIBC that Chestnut was charged with misdemeanor battery based on two main factors.

“The injury caused to the victim, the more you increase the injury, the higher level of an offense it is, and the relationship between the parties,” Kocher explained.

The relationship between Chestnut and the victim is currently unknown.

Kocher also said that Chestnut did not get off easy in this case.

“I would say that justice was very much served in that he did not get a special deal or special treatment,” he said. “In a lot of misdemeanor battery cases for a person with no criminal history, they get pretrial diversion and they don’t end up with a conviction, so ending up with a conviction on this case is a serious consequence.”

Chestnut’s attorney Mario Massillamany gave the following statement to WIBC regarding the charge and probation:

“My client took full responsibility for this misunderstanding and resolved the matter by pleading guilty to a lesser-included offense of Blass B misdemeanor battery, one of the lowest-level misdemeanor offenses under Indiana law.

The resolution of the case, including a sentence of six months of probation, reflects what this incident truly was — an isolated misunderstanding rather than anything more serious. We appreciate the professionalism of the parties involved in reaching a fair and appropriate outcome.

Mr. Chestnut is moving forward and remains committed to being a positive member of the community.”

Chestnut is expected to compete again in the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 in Coney Island, New York. Massillamany added that Chestnut is focused on winning the competition and setting a new world record.

Chestnut, who resides in Westfield, ate 70.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes to claim his 17th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest title in 2025.

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