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‘Below Deck’ Captain Lee Rosbach Speaks Out On Kate Chastain’s Arrest For Domestic Violence

By Karen de Wilde
Published on: 12:12 PST, Jun 14, 2016

Below Deck‘s Kate Chastain is in trouble with the law and also, perhaps, Captain Lee Rosbach. On Tuesday, Florida Today reported that Kate was arrested Monday in her hometown of Melbourne Beach, Florida. She was slapped with a felony domestic violence charge of battery by strangulation.

The released mug shot shows Kate looking very somber, with messy hair and very puffy bags under her eyes.

While Kate, who has been in the yachting industry since 2007 and worked her way up to chief stew from laundry stewardess, has been portrayed as a consummate professional on Seasons 2 and 3 of the show, it seems that there’s a wilder side to her that was more hidden. All About The Tea reports that this wasn’t actually Kate’s first arrest. According to the site, she has a long criminal record that includes charges for driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, and probation violations.

Who did Kate supposedly attack? Given that she was charged with domestic violence, it may be her girlfriend, Rocio “Ro” Hernandez. A little more than a week ago, Kate posted a photo of Ro, a professional soccer player, heading into a store with her to get a lottery ticket. Ro’s Instagram account has now been deleted.

TMZ reported that Kate tried to kick her drunk girlfriend out of their house. When the girlfriend refused to get out, Kate bit her in the forearm, bicep and leg. TMZ further reported that cops say that Kate also put a knee on her girlfriend’s head, choked her and tried to stop her from breathing. Kate was arrested after the girlfriend went to work with visible bruising. Kate subsequently appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and posted a $5,000 bond.

Kate went public with her romantic relationship with a woman in January 2016. She told Bravo TV’s The Daily Dish that she didn’t expect to get into a romantic relationship with a woman, since she was never attracted to women before.

“I think everybody’s just as surprised as I am by the photos. You know, I am currently dating a girl. She’s amazing. I never, ever imagined myself dating a girl. I never was attracted to girls. So I’m a little caught off guard, but she’s just a really special person. We met just met in our hometown at a bar one night and started chatting. I thought she was really cool, and I never thought it would ever lead to anything romantic and then just over time it did.”

Kate praised her girlfriend.

“She’s smart and athletic and gorgeous…She’s just got a lot of swag, and she’s a really good hip-hop dancer, and she’s just really cool.”

Kate Chastain even revealed that chef Ben Robinson gave the relationship his approval. Ben starred on Below Deck with Kate. On Season 2, they had a sexual relationship. On Season 3, their sexual tension led to a lot of bickering but they both ruled out a romantic relationship due to their too-similar personalities. Kate told The Daily Dish that Ben, who can currently be seen on Season 1 of the spin-off Below Deck Mediterranean, actually encouraged the relationship.

“Ben knows, and Ben is very supportive of it. Actually, I think I was hanging out with [Ben] in Fort Lauderdale when she started texting me, and I showed him a photo. I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, Ben, but I think this girl is coming onto me.’ And he looked at her and was like, ‘Wow, she’s gorgeous. Go for it.’ I actually have to give Ben a little credit.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, when Ben appeared on Andy Cohen’s talk show Watch What Happens Live to promote Below Deck Mediterranean, he spoke highly of Kate’s girlfriend.

Captain Lee Rosbach has responded to the shocking news regarding Kate’s arrest. He tweeted that he was really shocked and stunned. He pointedly wrote that he won’t ignore the facts.

In April, Bravo revealed that there will be a Season 4 of Below Deck. Captain Lee confirmed that he will be returning to the show. As to who else will be returning, Captain Lee told one viewer on Twitter that he can’t say.

Captain Lee had a very good relationship with Kate Chastain and they worked well together, so it’s likely she returned for another season. Just a few weeks ago, they proclaimed that they miss one another.

On Monday, Captain Lee Rosbach revealed that filming for Below Deck Season 4 has finished. Although he still couldn’t say which cast members returned for another season, he teased that the new season, which may return to the air later this summer, will be good.

[Image via Bravo TV]

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