Tom McNicholas

Martin County Assistant State Attorney Adam Guzi said Wednesday based on the facts of the case and input from the victim, prosecutors elected not to go forward.

McNicholas, who has participated in many political campaigns and controversies in Martin County, was arrested in June after an argument between himself and his fiancée escalated, and she accused McNicholas of throwing a liquid soap bottle at her, striking her in the ribs and then grabbing her by the wrist, briefly preventing her from leaving their condo, according to police reports.

He was released from custody after posting $5,000 bail.

“She had substantial input in our discussions, and based upon those discussions and the facts of the case, it was decided ultimately not to file charges,” Guzi said.

McNicholas owns McNicholas & Assoicates, a Stuart public relations, marketing and advertising firm. He worked as a spokesman for former state Rep. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, during his 2006 campaign for Congress in District 16.

The Florida Public Relations Association named McNicholas Crisis Communicator of the Year for those efforts, according to his company’s Web site.

McNicholas participated in the contentious debate about whether to allow clusters of houses on part of an agricultural tract in exchange for the preservation of the rest of the property, promoting the initiative as a way for the public to obtain land needed for the restoration of the Everglades and Indian River Lagoon.

A former television reporter, McNicholas worked as a media consultant for Martin County during Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and was credited by some county commissioners with facilitating favorable television news coverage.

“No couple ever wants a private disagreement made public. We are both glad it’s behind us,” McNicholas and the woman, Barbara Crostic, said in a joint statement released Wednesday.

Tags: Adam Guzi, domestic battery, public relations, Tom McNicholas

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 9:57 am and is filed under Courts, Crime, Stuart. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.