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Coastie skipper arrested after Key West bar brawl

The commanding officer of a Boston-based Coast Guard cutter was arrested and charged with assault Tuesday following a scuffle during a port call in Key West, Fla.

Cmdr. Michael Sabellico, 42, of Scituate, Mass., the skipper of the 270-foot medium endurance cutter Escanaba, was arrested May 15 by Key West police around 1:15 a.m. The Coast Guard has temporarily reassigned him, officials said.

According to the police report, Sabellico and several crew members were drinking at establishments along the island’s famed Duval Street when they argued with a bartender at an Irish pub.

Sabellico and the crew members allegedly were loitering in an alley when the bartender at Irish Kevin’s asked them to leave. They left as requested, but according to the report, Sabellico returned and scuffled with the man. He then left the scene. Sabellico was apprehended later and charged with simple assault.

The Coast Guard is conducting an administrative investigation into the incident. According to Atlantic Area spokesman Lt. Rob Wyman, Sabellico has been reassigned temporarily to the Coast Guard’s 1st District but he remains the Escanba’s commander.

Cmdr. Chris Austin, currently the commanding officer of the Portsmouth, Va.-based Coast Guard cutter Northland, has assumed temporary command of the Escanaba while the ship returns to its home port.

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Escanaba skipper arrested