Kiefaber Barred From Senator Theatre, Again

Tom Kiefaber, the former owner of the Senator Theatre, received probation before judgment as part of a plea deal on second-degree assault and harassment charges on Wednesday in Baltimore District Court.

As part of the plea deal, Kiefaber is placed on unsupervised probation for a year, must show proof that he has completed an anger management course, stay away from the Senator Theatre and abstain from any contact with its current owners.

Associate Judge Jennifer Etheridge also explained to Kiefaber that he is prohibited from making any posts on social media that could be construed as a personal attack on either of the owners, James "Buzz" Cusack, his daughter and business partner Kathleen Lyon and her husband Christopher Lyon.

If Kiefaber violates any of these conditions, he could face up to 10 years in prison for the second-degree assault charge, and up to 90-days in prison for the harassment charge, Etheridge said.

Kiefaber was previously ordered to stay away from the theater and Kathleen Lyon after an altercation outside the theater in July 2011, prior to a midnight show of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows—Part 2. According to the prosecutor, Kiefaber showed up, shouted at and threatened theater employees, and elbowed Christopher Lyon in the gut during that incident.

Last August, Kiefaber was arrested outside the Senator Theatre for trespassing. He was eventually charged with "harassment course of conduct," after he was accused of repeatedly showing up to the theater, dropping trash in a dumpster outside the theater and trying to enter the building.

Kiefaber, who lost control of theater in 2009, after the city purchased his outstanding mortgage from 1st Mariner Bank, has been a constant critic of how the city handled the disposition and ongoing redevelopment of the 74-year-old art deco theater.

Initially, the theater was leased for $1 a year to Cusack and Kathleen Lyon, who eventually closed the theater last April to begin an ambitious renovation of the historic building that includes the addition of smaller theaters and a wine bar.

Last September, the Board of Estimates approved selling the theatre to its operators—as Senator Theatre, LLC—to help leverage more credit to complete the estimated $3.49 million renovation. Senator Theatre, LLC had already invested $950,000 in the project at that point.