'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood Charged with Felony Domestic Violence
Amber Portwood, star of MTV's hit reality show "Teen Mom," has been charged with two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence and battery. The now twenty-year-old mom's alleged violent on-camera behavior against father Gary Shirley, 24, let to the charges.
The felony charge stems from the fact that Amber Portwood committed the alleged acts in the presence of a child. If Portwood is convicted on all counts, she would face up to three years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Domestic violence is any abusive, violent, coercive, forceful, or threatening act or word inflicted by one member of a family or household on another.
According to Mitch Carroll, spokesperson for the Indiana police, the charges were filed against the "Teen Mom" star after allegations arose that Portwood beat the estranged father of her child. Detectives successfully subpoenaed the footage from MTV showing the altercation, which had not been aired on the show. After prosecutors reviewed the footage, they decided to charge Portwood.
"Once the charges are filed and the warrant issued, officers can pick Amber up on the warrant," Carroll told E! News. Portwood, perhaps unwisely, decided to do a little proactive public relations on the matter, saying "I didn't hit Gary in front of Leah so there are no felony charges," she told HollywoodLife.com. "None of this is true, there's nothing against me. They can't charge me if they don't have proof."
Of course, E! accurately pointed out that in October, Portwood gave a statement accompanied by her attorney and admitted that the domestic violence was real and not staged by MTV. Shirley alleged that Portwood attacked her, including kicking and punching.
Related Resources:
- MTV's 'Teen Mom' Breaking News: Amber Portwood Charged With Felony Domestic Violence! (Chicagonow.com)
- Domestic Violence (FindLaw)
- Domestic Violence FAQ (FindLaw)