CRIME

Sarasota boat captain accused of crimes did not have valid license, state says

Carlos R. Munoz
 carlos.munoz@heraldtribune.com
The charter fishing boat Double Marker, operated by Capt. Mark Bailey, docked at Marina Jack on Tuesday. [Herald-Tribune staff photo / Mike Lang]

SARASOTA — The captain of the Sarasota fishing charter boat who allegedly got drunk, high and threatened to shoot his passengers did not have a valid state license required on for-hire vessels, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Mark Bailey, 36, was operating with an expired FWC Charter Captain license needed to cover his passengers, who are not required to have a recreational saltwater fishing license while fishing aboard a charter vessel.

The six passengers, who described the fishing expedition as "17 hours of terror," told the Sarasota Police Department that they caught their limit of red snapper just before the inebriated captain became quarrelsome and fired six or seven gunshots over the water from the second deck.

FWC discovered that Bailey's state license expired Feb. 26 — after the Herald-Tribune asked the state wildlife agency to check the status of his license.

"FWC officers are currently looking into this case," spokeswoman Melody Kilborn said Monday.

A charter captain must have Charter Captain or Boat License to carry paying customers for the purpose of taking or possessing saltwater fish.

Saltwater fishing guides in Florida must also comply with the Coast Guard requirements: a valid Coast Guard License to Navigate or Operate Passenger Carrying Vessel License must be obtained in order to purchase an FWC Charter Captain's license.

Following last week's incident, FWC indicated that if Bailey had a license, it could only be revoked after a criminal conviction.

Terrible trip

According to statements that all five passengers and the first mate submitted to the Sarasota Police Department, sometime after 1:45 p.m., almost midway through the 12-hour charter, an altercation occurred between the captain and the passengers.

The reports indicate that Jason Rialmo, 15, was sent to get a beer from the captain's pail on the second deck, but Bailey told the boy to put the alcoholic beverage back. He followed him down to the main deck and yanked a chain from the boy's neck.

This led to a series of arguments between the captain and the passengers.

Bailey threatened to "put a bullet" in each of the passengers heads and dump them overboard, while they were about 60 miles offshore. He fired six or seven shots from the second deck over water, reports said.

Passenger Christopher Giuffre Sr. said in a statement to police, "From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., the Captain continued to drink rum and do cocaine. Pretending to go into shore but was just circling, which we addressed with the first mate because we had a compass on our phones and watched what he was doing. Every time we went to speak with him he was more inebriated and high."

Bailey returned to shore after another passenger paid him $1,600 for the charter and a $400 tip for the first mate, but not before steering the boat north and south, from Anna Maria Island to Siesta Key, for another 2.5 hours.

Police were waiting at the dock after receiving an hour-long 911 call from the Christopher Giuffre Jr. detailing the situation.

The Coast Guard is still investigating, and federal charges are likely.

Evicted

An employee of Marina Jack, where Bailey kept his boat, said Bailey is no longer a tenant after the marina ended his monthly lease. It is unknown if he is continuing to book charters under his vessel, the Double Marker.

The severity of the new allegations about Bailey was not lost on his former passenger.

"The new information coming up is like, wow," Giuffre Jr. said. "It's like the cherry on top of a bizarre incident."