ON THE SIDELINES : Witnesses Speak Up for Bouncer
Three witnesses say a Rhode Island nightclub bouncer accused of assaulting New England Patriot wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes last month never hit him.
Two patrons of the nightclub and the manager testified in District Court Thursday at a probation violation hearing for the bouncer, William K. Earley, 35, of Tiverton.
One of the patrons, Jessica O’Brien, 17, said Dykes was yelling at Earley outside Club Shalimar in Providence when someone else knocked Dykes to the ground. Her boyfriend, Glen Upchurch, said that Dykes was punched twice and kicked but that Earley did not participate in the attack.
The manager, Edward Imondi, said Dykes and his teammate, receiver Irving Fryar, yelled obscenities at Earley and “would not leave without a fight.”
Dykes testified last week that he and Fryar were not looking for trouble and that it was Earley who harassed them. Judge Richard Israel continued the hearing until Nov. 29.
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