Kate Chastain has been formally charged with domestic battery by strangulation and battery domestic violence by the Florida State Attorney’s Office. The charges, a third degree felony and first degree misdemeanor respectively, follow Kate’s shocking arrest in June for allegedly biting her girlfriend Rocio “Ro” Hernandez on the arm and choking her. The dispute reportedly arose from a scene in which Kate was trying to kick Ro out of her house.
The Below Deck star is set to appear in the show’s fourth season, which debuts September 6. Scenes in the trailer preview Kate and Ro hamming it up for the cameras. But just one week after Bravo airs its premiere, Kate will have to face the judge in real life. Her court date is set for September 13.
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After news of the June arrest broke, Kate defended herself on social media, claiming the “truth would come out.”
In a new series of tweets, Kate actually accuses Florida Today of slander (though it would be libel, more accurately) for publishing a story of her being charged. “When @Florida_Today slanders u 4 ad $…This is my family; I come from love,” she tweeted along with a video of a wedding ceremony.
According to the Melbourne Beach police report at the time of arrest, “Kate bit her [Ro] in the forearm, bicep, and leg. Cops say Kate also put a knee on her head, choked her, and tried to stop her breathing.” The police report reveals that Kate “went into a fit of rage” after returning home from a bar on June 11. The later arrest resulted from Ro going to work with bruising on her arm after the dispute.
Kate contacted Florida Today via Facebook in July, writing, “Looking ahead to the future please know that I am not and will never be interested in any kind of interview with FLORIDA TODAY. Just wanted to give you a heads up that any press request would be a waste of time, and on my end, an annoyance.”
Kate also retweeted a fan’s suspicion about Florida Today’s story, and Kate’s involvement in the domestic dispute. “@Florida_Today this does not make since. @Kate_Chastain is at most 5’2″ 115# soaking wet. Her ex is 6′ & a pro athlete. #somethingsmissing.”
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In a post on her blog, Lucky Charming, Kate reacted with a heartfelt, yet vague sentiment after her June arrest:
“I’m going to let you in on a little secret: the past few weeks for me have been less than ideal. I can only describe it as living in a dark and twisted nightmare because in reality, none of it makes any sense. The only thing I know for sure at this point is that it only takes one person’s words to forever affect the life of another and thus, I am carefully selecting the words I type now.”
“This is not a blog post about ‘my side of the story’. I will let my well equipped attorneys handle that subject matter, if it even gets to that point. For me to go into any detail here would only be self serving, unnecessary for public domain and continue a toxic cycle of negativity. Ain’t nobody got time for that,” wrote Kate.
Well, this is indeed a messy business. Though Kate continues to cry foul, the Florida State Attorney’s Office ultimately thought there was enough evidence to charge her. I’m not sure what to think right now. But, as with all things, the truth is bound to eventually come out.
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Photo Credit: Bravo
