Photo by Collin Preciado
On September 19, Snō restaurant owner Tony Nguyen was arrested and charged with three assault charges and one charge of unlawful use of a weapon, resulting from an alleged incident with his wife, Jessica Nguyen, that occurred the same day. Tony Nguyen pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $50,000 bond.
A memorandum issued Tuesday by the Missouri Circuit Court, 22nd Judicial Circuit, stated that “this matter has been presented to the St. Louis Circuit Court Grand Jury and the State has insufficient evidence to obtain a conviction.” The case included four counts: one each for Domestic Assault - 2nd Degree; Domestic Assault - 3rd Degree; Domestic Assault - 4th Degree - 1st Or 2nd Offense; and Unlawful Use Of Weapon - Subsection 4 – Exhibiting.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Tony Nguyen
In an email, Jason Korner, attorney for Tony Nguyen, clarified the memorandum: “Although he was arrested and initially charged, upon further investigation the prosecutor's office determined there was not enough evidence to prove that Tony committed any of the crimes charged. That means there is no house arrest, he is free to return to Sno, and there will be no further court dates. We are very pleased the court process revealed the truth."
The much-anticipated restaurant had been open for five weeks when the alleged domestic abuse incident occurred. The husband-and-wife chef team had been active in the business before its temporary closure, with Tony Nguyen running the kitchen and Jessica Nguyen working in the kitchen as well as overseeing the front-of-house operations.
Snō reopened on September 29, a week after the alleged incident. A source says that Jessica has been back at Snō since the reopening, working both in the kitchen and on the floor, interacting with customers.
Editor's note: This story has been updated from the original version.
