CRIME

Police: Sarasota passengers held captive for 17 hours by armed, intoxicated charter captain

Carlos R. Munoz and Emily Wunderlich 
Staff Writers
The charter fishing boat Double Marker, operated by Capt. Mark Bailey, inset, docked at Marina Jack on Tuesday. [Herald-Tribune staff photo / Mike Lang; Bailey photo provided by Sarasota County Sheriff's Office]

SARASOTA — A day of fishing on the Gulf turned to terror, when an inebriated Sarasota charter captain, allegedly under the influence of alcohol and drugs, became angry, threatened to shoot his passengers and then shot a handgun into the water from the vessel's flying bridge, all about 60 miles offshore, police reports show.

Bradenton's Carlo Lopeparo paid $2,000 for the 12-hour fishing trip Sunday for his friends and family, but the trip turned sour about seven hours later after the group had caught their limit of red snapper.

Sarasota Police reports indicate an altercation occurred between charter Captain Mark Bailey, 36, and Jason Rialmo Jr., 15, the son of one of the five passengers, Jason Rialmo, 39.

Bailey did not return calls or text messages from the Herald-Tribune seeking comment.

According to reports, sometime after 1:45 p.m., Lopeparo asked Rialmo Jr. to get him a beer from the captain's pail on the second deck. The 15-year-old asked Bailey to pass him a beer, but the captain refused and told the boy to put the beer back. Rialmo Jr. apparently believed he was joking and took the beer anyway, the report said.

Bailey followed the boy down the ladder and grabbed him by a chain necklace he was wearing, breaking it.

Lopeparo, 35, the boy's uncle, was upset about the alleged assault and began "yelling and screaming" at the captain and the first mate, Devin Scott Kissell, 35. Lopeparo went into the cabin with Bailey attempting to follow him, but other passengers — Christopher Giuffre, 53, and Christopher Giuffre Jr., 23 — stopped the captain, asking him to leave Lopeparo alone.

Bailey was angry, but agreed, the report said.

The captain exchanged words with Rialmo Jr., who stood his ground, and the captain insisted that it was his vessel and "he can do what he wants."

Giuffre Sr. told police later that Bailey began drinking beer and rum heavily, and said he believed the captain was taking drugs. He said he saw Bailey smoking a "joint" and Rialmo Sr. saw the captain snorting cocaine.

According to the report, Bailey called Giuffre Jr. up to the second deck to talk to him and said, "I have a 9 mm and if I want, I will put a bullet in each of your heads and leave you out here."

Driving in circles

The captain drove the boat another 10 to 15 miles farther out and the group continued to fish, but the mood on the boat was awful, the report said. Giuffre Sr. asked the first mate to tell the captain to return the boat to shore around 2:45 p.m. — five hours before they were scheduled to complete the trip.

On the way back, the passengers later told police, they said they heard six or seven gunshots, as Bailey shot his handgun from the upper deck.

From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., the captain continued to drink rum and take drugs, according to the report, pretending to go to shore, but just circling. Passengers used a compass on a cellphone to confirm they were not moving toward shore, but were in fact going in circles.

Every time they tried to speak to the captain, Bailey was more and more inebriated, Giuffre Sr. told police.

"We had no control and no way to get back," the passenger said. "I believe he didn't want to dock completely wasted and was buying time."

When the boat got within 10 to 15 miles of Sarasota, Bailey allegedly ran north and south from Anna Maria Island to Sarasota Bay and Marina Jack, but he did not dock. A flurry of text messages from Giuffre Jr.'s wife and mother came in. The 15-year-old told them what was happening and called 911 and the Coast Guard.

Bailey told Rialmo Sr. that Lopeparo had to pay him, otherwise he was not going to bring the boat ashore, police reports show. The captain allegedly threatened that "he had his buddies at the dock for them."

Lopeparo paid $2,000 — $1,600 for the charter and a $400 tip to the first mate — but Bailey continued to steer the boat in circles, away from shore for another 2 1/2 hours until finally returning to the his dock at Marina Jack.

More than a dozen Sarasota police and Coast Guard officers were waiting for him. He had bloodshot eyes and slurred his speech, reports said. He refused to take an alcohol breath test and was arrested on charges of boating under the influence.

Bailey demanded to speak with a supervisor on scene and kicked the rear patrol door of a Sarasota police car while he was handcuffed inside. An officer opened the door to check on Bailey, who smiled and laughed, reports show.

While attempting to re-secure Bailey, the captain placed his hands in the rear window preventing it from being closed. Bailey removed them when other officers were approaching to assist.

'Fear for my life'

Lopeparo said he has hired Bailey in the past and always had a good time, adding that Bailey would have "a beer or two, nothing major, usually when we were close to land after the day was pretty much over."

"I just expected to take my family and friends out like I do every year on June 1," Lopeparo said. "I wasn't planning on being in fear for my life for 17 hours."

Bailey paid $620 bail and was released from jail. No other charges have yet been filed, but the Coast Guard investigation is still in progress.

Lopeparo told the Herald-Tribune that Bailey sent him text messages after he was released from jail that said, "Sorry you guys had to wait around through all that," and "Are you guys OK?"

"He took our $1,600 we paid him to put us in this hostage situation," Giuffre Jr. said. "And we paid for his freedom."

Giuffre Jr. said there was a point when the passengers discussed overtaking the captain and tying him up, but because of his vantage point on the second deck, and the fact he had a handgun, there was no chance to scale the ladder to reach him without risking injury.

"He clearly has the gun within arms reach of him," Giuffre Jr. said. "It was the most helpless situation that I could image to be in. Everyone was just helpless — a real life hostage situation."

Lopeparo said "somebody should be held accountable."