Fairhope Bar Owner Ronan McSharry Sentenced to Probation on Intoxication Charge
A Baldwin County circuit judge sentenced Fairhope bar owner Ronan McSharry to one year of unsupervised probation after he was found guilty on an intoxication charge; an assault charge was dismissed.
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Ronan McSharry, owner of McSharry’s bar in Fairhope, was found guilty on an intoxication charge after a one-day trial in Baldwin County Circuit Court and was sentenced by Circuit Judge Clark Stankoski to one year of unsupervised probation.
An assault charge stemming from the same incident was dismissed on appeal and was not tried.
The Incident
The case stems from an incident at the Little Whiskey Christmas Club in Fairhope in which Paula DiNardi was knocked off a bar stool. Police were called after DiNardi reported an assault.
Officers testified that McSharry had a “strong odor of alcohol,” “slurred his speech” and was so intoxicated “he couldn’t hardly walk.” Surveillance video of the incident was shown in court.
McSharry has said the incident stemmed from an argument.
From Municipal Court to Circuit Court
Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker had earlier found McSharry guilty of both assault and intoxication and imposed a 180-day sentence. McSharry appealed to circuit court.
On appeal, Stankoski, who requested to hear the case, dismissed the assault charge, leaving only the intoxication charge for trial. Fairhope City Attorney Marcus McDowell prosecuted the case. McSharry is represented by attorney James Pittman.
Related Civil Litigation
DiNardi has also filed a civil lawsuit against McSharry. Her claims have not been decided by the court.
McSharry filed a third-party complaint against the Little Whiskey Christmas Club, alleging the establishment’s conduct caused him to “suffer damages.” In response, the club said in a filing that “a complete reading of the complaint shows that McSharry was not injured in person, property or means of support. In fact, the only injury that McSharry seems to have sustained is his financial cost of defending himself.”
McSharry also contends in the civil case that a settlement agreement was reached with DiNardi weeks before she filed her lawsuit, under which “all of DiNardi’s claims asserted against McSharry in this lawsuit would be dismissed without prejudice,” and that DiNardi “has refused to abide by the terms of that settlement agreement.” Those claims also remain unresolved.
