MARATHON — Florida Keys deputies arrested a charter fishing captain and his mate on charges they used their boat to try to capsize a father and son on a kayak.
The man and his teenage son, who the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office didn’t name, were fishing near the docks behind The Hammocks at Marathon resort in the Middle Keys shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday. That’s when two men on a 21-foot boat tried using the vessel to overturn their kayak, said, Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The pair told deputies they were in fear the boat would run them over and that the boaters appeared to be angry they were fishing in the area, Linhardt said. Deputies watched security camera footage from the marina, which corroborated the kayakers’ version of events, Linhardt said.
James Christian Gagliardini, 52, of Marathon, and his mate, 34-year-old Eric Wink, remained in county jail as of Friday afternoon awaiting a judge to set bond, according to sheriff’s office records.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the water behind The Hammocks at Marathon resort around 2 p.m., Thursday, after receiving a report of a boat-related disturbance.
An adult male victim told deputies he was fishing with his teenage son when the suspects repeatedly circled them in a 21-foot boat, causing them to fear being run over, according to the MCSO.
Investigators said Gagliardini then pinned the boat’s bow against the dock, trimmed the engine, and intentionally sprayed the kayakers with water.
The victim stated the confrontation appeared to stem from the suspects’ frustration that the pair were fishing in the area.
Security video from the marina reportedly corroborated the victims’ account.
Gagliardini faces charges of aggravated assault, reckless operation of a vessel and intentional harassing fisherman. Wink was arrested on aggravated battery.
Gagliardini and Wink were each arrested and booked into jail.
By DAVID GOODHUE/Miami Herald
David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.
