Sea Isle Man Sentenced for Attack on Fox 29 TV’s Bob Kelly

The Sea Isle City man who admitted to sucker punching Fox 29's traffic reporter Bob Kelly during a charity event in Sea Isle last summer was sentenced by a Cape May County Superior Court Judge on Monday.

Sea Isle City Man Sucker Punched Fox 29's Bob Kelly

Patrick Iannone, 22, pleaded guilty in December to third-degree assault for the July 30 attack. He admitted to drinking excessively before walking up to Bob Kelly hosting an event at Oar House Pub and punching him in the face.

Judge Gives Sea Islese City Man Probation and a Warning

Judge Christine Smith sentenced Iannone to three years probation, $5000 in restitution to Kelly, in $100-a-month payments, and a warning to turn his life around while he still has a chance.

"You need to know, sir, that the next step for you, is out the back door to state prison", Smith told Iannone, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kelly Continues to Feel the Effects of the Sucker Punch

Bob Kelly, who was briefly knocked unconscious, has said he still sees spots from the punch, which left a scar near his left eye. Kelly objected to Patrick Iannone's attempt to apply for a “pretrial intervention,” a diversionary program allowing Iannone to avoid prosecution entirely.

In his victim impact statement, Kelly said he now feels uneasy when doing live appearances in a crowd, "something that is part of my life and part of my job as a news anchor".

Court records show that Iannone had already pleaded guilty earlier last summer to a simple assault incident at another Sea Isle City bar. He was fined $500.

Patrick Iannone Agrees to a Plea Deal

Iannon's plea deal calls for probation, anger & alcohol counseling. Cape May County prosecutor Edward Shim said the plea deal stipulates that Iannone have no contact with Kelly, who did not attend the hearing.

Iannone apologized to the court for his actions against Kelly.

"I want to apologize to Mr Kelly and I'm very sorry for what I did."