WILMINGTON — Port City Daily is continuing to count down its most read stories of the year, according to analytics.
READ MORE: No. 9 Most Read Story of 2024: Demolished downtown music venue makes way for apartments
Coming in number eight in 2024: the year-long saga of allegations, lawsuits, and ALE charges for Edward Teach Brewery.
And it all started with one Facebook post.
Now deleted, local performer Madonna Nash posted on her social media accusations against ET brewery owner Gary Sholar. The post went viral reaching thousands of viewers and reshares, alleging Sholar engaged in threatening, inappropriate behavior against her daughter, Asia Daye Norris, also a local musician, and her daughter’s friend, Paige Grant.
Daye performed in the brewery in November 2023 and was approached by Sholar during her show, where he attempted to take the mic to sing with her. Both parties agree on that much.
But what happened thereafter has been debated, as no video of the incident — erased by the brewery’s camera system — exists, except for one 11-second one posted by an anonymous Facebook account. It only shows a snippet of Sholar cursing at the women and asking them to leave the establishment during the night in question.
Nash described Sholar as “visibly drunk off his ass, erratic, aggressive and terrorizing”; said he “touched inappropriately, disrespected, and terrorized a 20 year woman who was hired by and working for his establishment, making for a toxic and hostile work environment”; was “throwing chairs hitting his own patrons”; and was “drinking BEHIND the bar! Totally illegal!”
Sholar denied the allegations, aside from admitting to drinking in Edward Teach — not behind the bar — and using vulgar language when addressing Grant, who he claimed started the argument. He also said originally he didn’t speak with Daye directly, though the video show them chatting briefly.
Edward Teach employees and patrons at the bar that night signed affidavits to describe what they saw, many saying Nash’s post was overblown and no chairs were thrown, nor inappropriate behavior shown. Nash wrote in the post Sholar “violated her [daughter] without consent” and touched the performer “around her hips” — the latter part which was deleted after going live.
The post went viral and multiple media outlets picked up the story. Edward Teach employees attempted to reach both Nash and her daughter after the post picked up speed, but did not receive responses. Sholar then filed a lawsuit against Nash for defamation.
Grant and Daye also took out citizen-initiated warrants, which Sholar turned himself in on for misdemeanor charges for two counts of assault on a female and two counts of communicating threats. Eventually, the charges were dropped by the DA’s office.
However, the ALE also opened an investigation and ordered the brewery to stop producing beer due to an expired permit.
The ALE agent also initiated three charges for Sholar:
- Disorderly conduct on licensed premise (NCGS 18B-1005 (A)(2))
- Assault on a female and communicating threats (NCGS 18B-1005 (A)(3)
- Failure to supervise conduct on licensed premise (NCGS 18B-1005(B)
And he found Sholar in violation of North Carolina Administrative Code, followed by state agencies and licensing boards, including the ABC Commission:
- Intoxication by permittee prohibited (NCAC 15B .0209)
- Disorderly conduct prohibited (14B NCAC 15B .0208)
- Intoxicated persons (14B NCAC 15B .0204)
Sholar pleaded guilty to failing to superintend a business for which an ABC permit was issued and took an Alford plea to being a permittee and allowing disorderly conduct on the premises; both are misdemeanors. An Alford plea consists of a defendant accepting guilt without admitting wrongdoing. Usually, an Alford plea comes when the prosecution has enough evidence to hold a party accountable.
The brewery owner received six months of probation, had to pay a $100 fine, and complete the ALE’s Responsible Sellers Course, a training program on alcohol sales and service laws in North Carolina.
There is no word yet what came of the administrative code violations, which required a negotiated settlement, according to Sholar’s lawyer Thomas Varnum with Brooks and Pierce.
However, just last week the defamation lawsuit against Nash was dropped after she published a public apology on Facebook.
“I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made, and I say it’s time to put this situation behind us,” Nash expressed in multiple paragraphs of regret. “I want to make it clear that no sexual assault, or anything like it, happened. I realize my post was read that way and I didn’t mean to suggest it. That’s on me.”
As well, charges against Daye and Grant were dropped, the brewery announced a few days after Nash’s apology. The performer and her friend — who were at the center of the incident, as Nash wasn’t present that night — were added to the defamation suit almost eight months after Sholar opened it against Nash last January.
PCD interviewed Grant this week and will publish an update on ET dropping the suit against the two women later this week; check back.
Here’s the most popular of many stories PCD reported on the saga over the last year:
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