Overview
- In April 2026, Chestnut pleaded guilty to battery resulting in bodily injury and was sentenced to 180 days of probation, according to court records.
- The incident at Joe’s Grill in Indiana in March 2026 was recorded on security video that police say shows Chestnut pull a man forward and strike his face with an open right hand after a handshake.
- Questioned the next day, Chestnut told officers he was “pretty drunk” and did not remember the encounter, then said after viewing the footage the slap “looked like a joke.”
- The probation runs through October 2026, placing him under supervision during Nathan’s July 4 contest in New York, and court records indicate he must get approval to travel.
- His team says he regrets the interaction, and his attorney says he resolved the case by accepting a lesser Class B misdemeanor; Chestnut is a 17-time Nathan’s champion who returned to win in 2025 after missing 2024.