Celebrity chef Justin Sutherland gets two years of probation after pleading guilty to threatening girlfriend

Celebrity chef Justin Sutherland received two years of probation on Friday after pleading guilty to charges that he pointed a gun at his girlfriend and hit her with it last summer in St. Paul.

Sutherland was originally charged with a felony count of threats of violence. But the conviction will go down as a gross misdemeanor because his sentence fits within the bounds of that criminal offense, according to court records.

Sutherland, who was behind such St. Paul restaurants as the Handsome Hog and Big E, has made appearances on “Top Chef.” He won the “Iron Chef America” show and received an Emmy for his web series “Taste the Culture.”

Ramsey County District Judge Andrew Gordon stayed the 360-day sentence in favor of two years of probation during which Sutherland must abstain from alcohol and drugs, receive counseling for domestic abuse and anger management, and avoid firearms.

Sutherland pleaded guilty to the charge in October. Days after doing so, he was arrested by St. Paul police and charged with a gross misdemeanor for violating a domestic abuse no-contact order.

He pleaded guilty to that charge in October as well, and that conviction was included in Friday’s sentencing.

Sutherland did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment. After he pleaded guilty in October to the initial charge, he told the Star Tribune: “I was fully prepared to go to trial, but I did not want to give you media vultures the circus you were hoping for.”

He also said he “absolutely” did not assault the woman, but “there was no point dragging this out for the next four to six months.” Sutherland’s attorney, John T. Daly, said his client admitted only to making verbal threats of violence.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were twice called on June 28 to an apartment in the 800 block of Front Avenue. During the first call, a woman told officers that everything was fine despite previously reporting that Sutherland had choked her and tried kicking her out of the apartment.

During the second call about 90 minutes later, the woman told police that Sutherland had briefly squeezed her neck with both hands, said “I want you dead,” pointed a gun at her and hit her in the chest with it, and at one point said he would shoot her if she came back after running off. Officers then arrested Sutherland.

Staff writers Paul Walsh and Alex Chhith contributed to this story.