Former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Peter Thomas landed himself in Circuit Court on Tuesday, Feb. 28, to face a second-degree assault charge. He has been accused of choking and assaulting a woman at his restaurant, Bar One Baltimore, in March 2022.
According to The Baltimore Banner, Chanel Williams, who is said to be the niece of reality star Tammy Rivera, testified against Thomas, 62. She claimed he was drunk when he choked her while she was at his establishment on March 20.
Williams, 30, told the jury that Thomas, co-owner of Bar One, initially came over to the VIP section she had been invited to and gave her a hug. She said he soon returned to the booth and became verbally aggressive for no apparent reason.
Thomas then “put a hand around her neck and squeezed for about 30 seconds,” Williams recounted.
After the incident, Williams said she exited the restaurant, drove home and called the police that same night. The following afternoon, she decided to file charges against Thomas.
Williams’ friend, Cierra Dunlap, also took the stand in court and informed the jury that she jokingly told Thomas that Williams had an issue with him over his reportedly blocking Dunlap’s cell phone number.
“I didn’t know that was going to hit a trigger point,” Dunlap said in her testimony.
During cross-examination, it was revealed that Dunlap and Thomas were previously romantically involved one time and that he sent her $2,500.
When it became Thomas’ turn to take the stand, his recollection of the encounter was drastically different.
Not only did he deny being intoxicated, but Thomas also called Williams’ entire accusation “ridiculous” before suggesting that she was the one who was “hysterical” and “in my face.”
His claim was supported by one of Bar One’s managers, Hannah Akinwunmi, who deemed Williams as the aggressor.
The entrepreneur also said that Williams fell backward after he “eased her off” of him, and she then fell back into a chair.
Before his testimony was over, Thomas acknowledged that nowadays most individuals record everything on their phones or cameras, adding, “I’d be on every blog if that happened.”
If he is convicted of the crime Williams claimed he did, the Florida native can face up to 10 years in prison. “What she do????” asked many on social media.
However, this isn’t the first time Thomas has been in trouble with the law. In 2019, the ex-husband of “RHOA” star Cynthia Bailey was arrested in Miami, Florida, without bond for allegedly writing fraudulent checks.
After a six-day hold in Miami-Dade County Jail, Thomas’ attorney, Keith Doley, spoke out on his client’s behalf.
“There was no intent on Mr. Thomas’ part to not pay. There was a misunderstanding about a performance that didn’t happen. It’s all been resolved,” Doley explained.
Thomas was also part of a scary interaction involving Kenya Moore’s ex-boyfriend Matt Jordan in 2017. The argument allegedly turned violent after Thomas pulled a knife out on him.
