Probation hearing continued in Fairfield smoothie shop incident

BRIDGEPORT – An employee of a Fairfield smoothie shop, who was allegedly harassed by a man who claimed she had made a drink containing nuts for his son who he said suffers from a nut allergy, said Friday she will need more time before deciding whether to agree to him getting a pretrial probation program.

The young woman sat in the back of the Golden Hill Street courtroom as her lawyer, Timothy Aspinwall, asked Superior Court Judge Peter McShane to continue the case.

“We need additional time,” Aspinwall told the judge as the defendant, 48-year-old James Iannazzo, stood nearby with his lawyer.

The judge continued the case to April 28, warning Iannazzo he still must stay away from the victim and the Robeks smoothie shop.

Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Peter Cunniff did not object to the continuance.

Outside the courtroom, the young woman and her lawyer declined further comment.

“We will address this matter further on April 28,” said Iannazzo’s lawyer, Eugene Riccio, as he and his client left the courthouse.

Iannazzo, who is charged with second-degree breach of peace, first degree criminal trespass, and intimidation based on bigotry or bias, had applied for accelerated rehabilitation, a pre-trial probation program for nonviolent offenders.

Under the program Iannazzo would not plead guilty to any of the charges against him but could be placed on up to two years of probation. If he commits no other crimes during that probation the charges against him will be dismissed.

In an incident that was captured on video and went viral, on Jan. 22 police said Iannazzo angrily confronted teenage employees at the Robeks shop, accusing them of earlier making a drink containing nuts for his son who he said suffers from a nut allergy.

The son was later transported to a hospital, police said.

Police said Iannazzo demanded to know who had made the smoothie and became increasingly angry when employees could not respond.

He is accused of using expletives and throwing a drink at an employee that hit their right shoulder. Iannazzo also made comments toward an employee referencing their immigration status, police said.

Employees told police that Iannazzo had not told them about the peanut allergy, only requesting that no peanut butter was put in his drink.

The incident was recorded on an employee’s phone and later released on social media, gaining national attention.

Iannazzo, who was fired from his job at Merrill Lynch after the incident, later released two statements apologizing for his actions.

“They do not reflect my values or my character,” he said in a statement. “I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely.”

Iannazzo said he returned to the Robeks to find out what ingredients were used in the smoothie. He said he made the “regrettable comments” because his 17-year-old son “was taken to the hospital suffering with life-threatening anaphylactic shock.”

“I was out of my mind with fear for him when I returned to Robek’s, and I wish I had not done so. I also wish they had been more careful preparing my son’s beverage,” he said in the statement. “I will be extending my apologies personally to the Robeks organization, particularly the staff that was working there that night.”

He has since been hired by a Westport brokerage firm.