Man arrested for property damage following incident at bar

A 36-year-old Key West man was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for a damaging a door at the Purple Porpoise Pub on Big Coppitt Key on Jan. 5.

Dustin Ray Messenger was charged with property damage.

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 Sally Amato, 42, of Key West, smashed a beer bottle over her head. The victim told Deputy Healy that Amato mistakenly thought she grabbed Amato’s boyfriend, Messenger, in the crotch.

Three witnesses stated they saw Messenger then get into a fight with another, unnamed, person. The bartender then kicked Messenger out of the bar and locked the door. Messenger forced his way back into the bar by kicking the door off the hinges and punching the door. The damage to the door was estimated to be about $1,200.

Amato was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island. Deputy Healy went to the hospital, but learned that Amato had been airlifted by Trauma Star to a Miami hospital due to injuries to her hand.

Warrants were obtained for both Messenger and Amato.Messenger was booked into jail on Tuesday.

Amato remains at large.

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