Woman arrested in Big Coppitt Key bar row

A 43-year-old woman accused of smashing a beer bottle over the head of another woman at the Purple Porpoise Pub on Jan. 5 was arrested early Friday.

Sally Amato of Key West was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Deputy Jon Healy responded to the bar at 12:25 a.m. where he found a woman with injuries to her head. She was being treated by paramedics. The victim told Deputy Healy that a woman, later identified as Amato, smashed a beer bottle over her head. The victim told Deputy Healy that Amato mistakenly thought she grabbed Amato’s reported boyfriend in the crotch. Amato was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center for injuries she sustained to her hand during the incident. The woman who was hit in the head with the bottle was treated on scene.

Deputy Healy went to the hospital and confronted Amato with witness statements as to what transpired, but Amato had to be transported to Ryder Trauma Center via Trauma Star due to the extent of the injuries to her hand, thus Deputy Healy was unable to make an arrest at that time.

While Deputy Healy was at the hospital, Amato’s reported boyfriend, Dustin Ray Messenger, 36, of Key West, returned to the bar. Deputy Healy also returned to the scene. Messenger was arrested at the scene for property damage for kicking the tavern door off its hinges upon his return.

A warrant was obtained for Amato and she was booked into jail Friday morning.

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