MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. – The State Attorney's Office has charged reality TV star Kate Chastain with domestic battery by strangulation and battery domestic violence against her former live-in girlfriend after an alleged June attack in Melbourne Beach.
News 6 partner Florida Today reports that the charges, which were filed Wednesday, come a week after Bravo announced on its Daily Dish blog that Chastain would join season 4 of the hit yachting docuseries "Below Deck." Chastain appeared on seasons 2 and 3 as the chief stew.
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She attended Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School, in Indialantic, and graduated from the University of Central Florida.
On June 11, Chastain returned home from a bar, “went into a fit of rage" and physically attacked her girlfriend, a Melbourne Beach police report said. Chastain bit her girlfriend on the forearm, inner bicep and leg, held her down and strangled her, put her knee on her head and pulled her hair, and covered her mouth and pinched her nose so she couldn’t breathe, according to the report.
Chastain contacted Florida Today through email and Facebook in July: "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."
Chastain is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 13 at the Moore Justice Center, in Viera. Messages seeking comment were left with her lawyer, Gary Frese, of Melbourne.
In the new season, which premieres at 9 p.m. Sept. 6, Chastain shows off a new look and her then-new girlfriend, who makes an appearance on the show. In an episode, she claims, "Love is in the air, and it's spreading among the crew." Earlier this year, she had tweeted pictures of her girlfriend, whom she met in her hometown of Melbourne Beach. Filming of "Below Deck" season 4 occurred before the arrest.