Case dismissed against 'Fashion House' party host who violated COVID-19 orders
UPDATE: The case against Christopher Eubank, now 42, was dismissed on Oct. 13, 2022, court records show.
A second man Metro police say organized a massive East Nashville party that violated local emergency health orders during the coronavirus pandemic has been arrested.
Christopher 'Shi' Eubank, 40, was booked into the Metro jail at 9:18 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, Davidson County Sheriff's Office records show.
He had been wanted since Aug. 11 on three outstanding warrants in connection with local emergency health order violations at the Aug. 1 rager on Fern Avenue.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said Eubank surrendered to authorities at 8:45 a.m. at downtown booking. A judicial commissioner released him from jail on his own recognizance, which lets a defendant out of jail after an arrest without posting bail based on their promise to appear in court.
According to police, he and another man, Dr. Jeff Mathews, 36, threw the "Fashion House" party that drew hundreds, violating health orders that limit social gatherings to 25 people and require social distancing and masks.
Eubank's arrest came more than two weeks after Nashville police announced the men would face charges for violating emergency health orders during the coronavirus pandemic.
A series of photos and videos posted on Eubank's public social media account on Sunday and Monday showed him in Isla Mujeres, a Mexican island in the Caribbean Sea, just off the Cancun coast.
His co-defendant, Mathews, surrendered to police on Aug. 12, the day after charges were publicly announced.
Two days later, Mathews appeared in court and pleaded guilty to one count. The other two counts were dismissed by prosecutors. He also issued a letter of apology to Nashville — and specifically to his neighbors — as part of his plea, court records show.
Mathews was sentenced to three months of probation and eight hours of community service.
The property where the party occurred consists of three homes at a single address: 21 Fern Ave. The party primarily occurred at Unit B, which according to property records is owned by Mathews, but the party also spilled into Unit A, which is owned by Eubank, vocalist for the band Savage After Midnight. The Fashion House Instagram account also links to Eubank's Instagram account.
According to its website, Eubank is co-owner of Southern Roofing and Renovations in Nashville.
“I’m building a bunch of houses in Nashville, one of them being my personal house," Eubank told Inside Music in an October 2019 podcast interview. "I’m building a bunch of AirBnBs, me and a friend, and they’re pretty sick. They sit on this ridge that looks over all of downtown Nashville… (we’re) just ripping down old hood houses and buildings… three stories tall, you open the balcony doors, I walk out on my balcony and it’s all just Nashville. It’s gorgeous.”
The gathering drew swift public criticism after photos and videos surfaced of guests partying during the coronavirus pandemic.
After the party, Nashville Mayor John Cooper's office said it posted a stop-use order on the property for illegally operating a commercial business in a residential district because an active LLC was operating out of the residence.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking news in Nashville for USA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE. Reach her at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville COVID-19 rule violation case dismissed against party host
