Following a drunken dispute, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office arrested two Hudson men on Wednesday for allegedly attacking a couple at a resort.
Brandon Christopher Armstrong, 31 and Ryan Dale Liske, 29, were charged with battery.
Deputies initially arrived at the Coconut Cove Resort and Marina in Islamorada in response to a reported disturbance. Upon arrival, deputies met with two victims, who stated they were attacked by two men.
According to the report, the victims, a boyfriend and girlfriend, stated that they were buying drinks from Armstrong and Liske, and “having a good time under the tiki hut.” At some point the boyfriend said he went to his room. As he came back to the tiki hut area, he stated that one of the men had their arm around his girlfriend’s neck, and they appeared to be taking her to their room.
The boyfriend said he went to help her when Liske and Armstrong jumped on him and started fighting him. The girlfriend then verified the story, saying that the two men tried to drag her upstairs to their room while saying “derogatory things” to her.
Deputies observed blood on the boyfriend’s shirt, red marks on his head and a swollen, busted lip. The girlfriend said she was hit on the back of the head, but deputies did not see any marks on her. According to the report, neither Armstrong nor Lipke had any visible injuries, although they did have marks on their knuckles.
Two witnesses provided statements, saying that they saw the four people drinking together. Liske and Armstrong told their side of the story, stating that the boyfriend was showing naked photos of women to them. They felt that this was inappropriate since the man’s girlfriend was present, and said something about it to the boyfriend, which led to the fight.
According to the report, a number of inconsistencies arose between Liske and Armstrong’s story, the two victims’ story and the two witnesses’ story. The location of the fight, the order of the events, the instigator and other details all conflicted with each other. However, due to the injuries of the boyfriend and the lack of injuries on Armstrong and Liske, deputies felt that the two men were the primary aggressors. Both men were arrested and taken to the Plantation Key jail.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
If you have information that could help solve a crime in the Florida Keys, call Crime Stoppers, 800-346-TIPS.