NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NewsNation/WKRN) — A dentist arrested for his role in throwing an East Nashville house party attended by hundreds of people earlier this month has entered a guilty plea, his attorney said Friday morning.
Police said Jeffrey Mathews, 36, was arrested Tuesday night on three counts of violating health orders by hosting a gathering in excess of 25 people, not requiring social distancing and not requiring masks.
The charges were filed after videos circulated on social media showing a party on Fern Avenue held the night of Aug. 1, billed as “The Fashion House,” where hundreds of attendees appeared crammed together, with no masks in sight.
Grover Collins, who represents Mathews, told NewsNation affiliate WKRN on Friday that Mathews “has accepted responsibility for his involvement” in the party and entered a conditional plea to one count of violating an emergency order. As punishment, Mathews will have to complete eight hours of “COVID-19 related” public service work and will be on three months of unsupervised probation, according to court documents.
In a statement, Collins added, “my client is fully cognizant of the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and is remorseful for his actions.”
Police also issued a warrant for the arrest of Christopher Eubank, 40, on the same charges as Mathews; however, Eubank has not been located, as of Friday morning.