'Idol' Finalist Haley Reinhart's Friend Choked By Bar Worker: Cops

PALATINE, IL — More charges continue to be filed stemming from a brawl earlier this month at Palatine's Lamplighter Inn that involved singer and "American Idol" finalist Haley Reinhart. Adam Sobanski, a 32-year-old employee at the Lamplighter, was charged with two counts of felony aggravated battery after police allege he choked a customer to the ground and repeatedly punched him in the head and face during the July 8 melee, causing injuries that required treatment at a local hospital.

Sobanski, of the 2200 block of North Rand Road in Palatine, was arrested Wednesday, July 19, and his bail was set at $45,000. His next court date is Aug. 10. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Palatine news. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

According to Palatine police, officers responded to a report of unwanted subjects at around 2 a.m. July 8 at the Lamplighter Inn, 60 N. Bothwell St. Once at the bar, police found Alan Chislof — a 30-year-old friend of Reinhart also from Wheeling — suffering from injuries to his head and face. Investigators allege Sobanski put Chislof in a chokehold until he fell to the floor and then punched him repeatedly once on the ground, police said.

In a video posted on celebrity gossip site TMZ, Chislof is seen in an altercation with men who Chislof's lawyer claims are bouncers at Lamplighter, according to the Daily Herald. Mark A. Brown, a lawyer for Chislof, says his client sustained a concussion, as well as cuts and bruises that required an emergency room visit but not a hospital stay. Chislof, who works as a trainer and salesman at an Evanston gym, hasn't returned to work, Brown told the Herald.

RELATED: Former 'American Idol' Contestant Arrested In Palatine

Up until Sobanski's arrest Wednesday, Reinhart had been the only individual charged in the brawl. The Wheeling native is accused of punching a Lamplighter bouncer in the head. But Dina Lapolt, Reinhart's attorney, claims the bar's bouncers attacked her client, and she told TMZ that future legal action against the Lamplighter is to be expected.

Reinhart, 26, who graduated from Wheeling High School and now lives in Encino, California, was a top three finalist on "American Idol" in 2011.

Adam Sobanski, 32 (Photo via Palatine Police Department)

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