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MADEIRA BEACH - A fight between two men ended early Thursday when one man stabbed the other with the bill of a swordfish.
By Times staff report
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 22, 2002
MADEIRA BEACH -- A fight between two men ended early Thursday when one man stabbed the other with the bill of a swordfish.
Frank J. Ashmus, 46, used the swordfish bill to stab Garth Spacek, 42, in the stomach as Spacek was beating Ashmus in the head with a beer bottle, Pinellas County sheriff's deputies said.
Ashmus was charged with aggravated battery and remained in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail Thursday night.
Spacek also was charged with aggravated battery but was taken to Bayfront Medical Center for treatment. He was listed in fair condition in the hospital Thursday.
Deputies said the swordfish stabbing occurred about 12:30 a.m. Thursday outside Spacek's home in the 400 block of 137th Avenue Circle.
Spacek suffered a circular wound in his lower left abdomen, and Ashmus suffered head injuries that required stitches in several locations, according to arrest reports.