20 year-old Amber Portwood of MTV’s Teen Mom has officially been charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor stemming from three separate attacks on Gary Shirley, the father of her two year-old daughter. (Earlier reports had Amber charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor, but those seem to have been premature.) Two of Amber’s assaults on Shirley were shown on Teen Mom, and another was captured in unaired footage that was subpoenaed and screened by prosecutors. Amber was jailed in her hometown of Anderson, Indiana on Monday night (mugshot here) and was placed on a 24 hour hold with bail set at $5,000. She is expected to get out today, Tuesday, at 4:15 pm.
Amber Portwood was arrested for domestic violence on Monday in Anderson, Indiana, an officer at the Madison County Jail tells UsMagazine.com.
The 20-year-old star of Teen Mom allegedly attacked Gary Shirley, the father to her two-year-old daughter Leah, three separate times over the course of a year. The arrest was first reported by TMZ.
The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office charged Portwood with two felony counts of domestic battery, one felony count of neglect of a dependent and one misdemeanor count of domestic battery.
She was booked at the jail and placed on a “24-hour hold” with $5,000. Portwood is expected to be released on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. ET.
[From US Weekly]
The two felonies are due to the fact that her daughter, Leah, “allegedly” witnessed those two fights. The other fight was a misdemeanor as their child was not thought to be there. Amber previously denied that she attacked Gary at all despite all the video evidence. She told Hollywood Life last month. “I didn’t hit Gary in front of Leah so there are no felony charges. None of this is true, there’s nothing against me. They can’t charge me if they don’t have proof.” It sounds like she means “proof” that Leah was there, not proof that she choked and smacked Gary repeatedly, although of course she’s wording it like she’s entirely innocent.
This woman is an unfit mother and is in dire need of anger management counseling. At least now Leah will be cared for by Gary’s family and hopefully won’t have to live with an abusive mother with a hair trigger temper. Radar reports that Amber was given a “no contact” order which states that she cannot see Leah at all. There’s no word on how long that lasts. (If she’s feeling sad about it she can always lift up her shirt and look at a poorly rendered tattoo of her daughter.) Amber is scheduled to meet with a judge today, at which point she is expected to enter a plea.
The video below is just one of the incidents in which Amber attacked Gary. The other one is nearly impossible to find at this point.
LOVE Gary’s face in that second pic. It’s like how we all feel about Amber, encompassed into one priceless moment, captured in time forever.
That being said, “domestic violence” is never acceptable. As a survivor, I can say Amber needs serious counselling/help. NO CHILD DESERVES TO RAISED IN THAT KIND OF ATMOSPHERE. Get that sweet beautiful baby girl out of there, for good.
This is what happens when babies have babies…I hope she gets sent away for a while to grow up for the sake of her baby.
Well. Good. When a woman continuously hits her spouse it is still domestic abuse, which is fucking awful in front of or not in front of the child. This girl is beyond what I have words for. Not to mention, if she will abuse Gary in this way I have no reason not to believe she will eventually treat Leah the same: like garbage. She needs help; until then, no pity, no love, no respect. Just … poor Gary and Leah.
That poor baby, I hope they keep Amber away from her.
She looks drugged up in her mug shots…
I just find all of this too unbelievable! It must be a setup concocted as publicity for their reality show. Paying the 5 thousand $ fine is nothing compared to the money they make on the show. But taking an anger management course can’t hurt.
As a woman who has been in a psychologically AND physically abusive relationship, having this story covered in the media as representing “Domestic Violence” and Amber Portwood as the perpetrator really, REALLY UPSETS ME!!
It’s not like Gary is frightened for his life! He’s egging her on! This is just RIDICULOUS and HE is just as “guilty” as she is of any child abuse or neglect!!
WHAT A JOKE!
The hell with anger management counseling for Amber, it’s Gary who needs therapy. What kind of life has he had that would make him even want to be with a person like that, let alone procreate with her?
denial & delusion…not working for lindsay…not gonna work for amber either.
@ anoneemouse – I was “a baby having a baby” and I NEVER behaved that way! My little man was the most important thing in my life, and I nearly gave my life to prove it.
I also hope she gets sent “away” until she is able to be an effective parent. You don’t have a child to RECEIVE unconditional love; you GIVE unconditional love to a child. BIG DIFFERENCE! One these “16 & Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” girls don’t grasp.
@ Alexa – I also survived psychological & physical abuse. Gary is a passive-aggressive prick (as I’ve always said), but that in no way mitigates physical abuse. Yes, Gary’s a dick. He’s emotionally manipulative/borderline abusive. But NO ONE deserves to be abused. Since he isn’t threatening her life, she could have walked away. Some of us didn’t have that choice.
*sidenote* Psychological abuse is the pre-cursor to physical abuse. Once your abuser has torn you down mentally, and isolated you from all your friends and family, the physical abuse starts. That way, you have no one to confide in about said abuse. Trust. I speak the truth, from the voice of experience.
And this is why the government should chemically sterilise all babies at birth, and only put the antidote in sundried tomatoes and Perrier water! That said, judging by the top picture I’m just surprised she actually managed to find his penis in order to get pregnant in the first place…
This comment thread is go to turn into yet another eugenics debate (ahem), isn’t it?
No matter how passive aggressive Gary was/is (?), he did not deserve the emotional and physical assault he got from Amber. I managed to catch the Teen Mom episodes although outside the US and when the beating escalated, he genuinely at times seemed scared.
Domestic violence and abuse is a no-no, no matter the situation.
@ Bellatrix – Please read the third paragraph of my comment above – we are in agreement.
WHERE IS MTV IN THIS?? No statement? No Dr. Drew running out to the the fame-whore commentary? no one’s even acknowledging anything – probably because it’s fodder for next season.
@Alexa – they are showing her as the perpetrator because she WAS. And the entire point / the reason for the felony charges is that she did the abusing directly in front of / in the presence of their daughter. Are you a friend of hers or something?
Hey, that’s one good thing to come out of televising this crap.
@ Celandine….damnit sundried tomatoes?!! But I HATE sundried tomatoes….
This girl will do nothing but piss away the money she makes on this series and once that’s gone she will have nothing left to take care of her baby and no skills to back her up. She clearly is way too immature to raise her baby.
@Bellaluna – I commend you for raising a baby when you were young; however, were you arrested for being violent toward the baby’s father? I would guess not. Some people mature more easily than others. The choices she makes show us that.
@ the original Bellaluna: oh, don’t worry. I wasn’t addressing your statement. I’ve read your comments on the previous Teen Mom Amber threads and I know your sad story (that has come to a happy “ending” – let’s say continuation) as well as your point of view which is the same as mine… I was merely expressing the same thought. 🙂
@ anoneemouse – No, I wasn’t. Instead, I had to undergo the humiliation of re-living every single incident of abuse, just so I could obtain a restraining order against my son’s sperm donor (I refuse to call him my son’s “father”). Not pleasant, not fun, but necessary (and absolutely humiliating) nonetheless.
@ Bellatrix – Thank you. 🙂 Great minds, and all that…
Well done. That girl needs help. Maybe she can get it now.
Anyone that hated the show before should be glad it’s here now. It’s because of the footage that the cameramen/women took for Teen Mom that there is a possibility that Leah will be placed in the care of someone better, hopefully for good and not for temporary.
if i had a boyfriend like gary i’d go ballistic too. he’s an idiot, his friends are just like him, and he needs to just leave amber alone.
you dont walk into a womans house and try to take her child, which he did, on teen mom.
is amber a great mom? no. but look at what she had to deal with EVERY DAY.
@Jennifer you are right. for all of you hating the show, chances are damn good that Amber would have gotten away with this and more, if it weren’t for the cameras.
I wish little Leah all the luck in the world-she’s going to need it.
@hayley ~ I seriously hope that you would never behave like Amber. As far as walking into Amber’s home & taking her child goes… Amber’s home wasn’t an appropriate place for Leah (a bed in a closet?!?!) & she should have been taken away
so what? she slapped the fat bastard…from what i’ve seen of the show, he ain’t no catch either.
You’re all idiots. She was punching him in the face… But because she’s a little girl, it’s somehow his fault because he’s passive aggressive? I’m sure if she was passive aggressive and he was punching her in the face, people would not be saying it’s her fault.
Such a shitty show. A shitty thing to showcase, teen pregnancy. Anything they put on TV in front of impressionable sheep, (read: American teens), will be emulated, and glorified.
I had sex all over the place when I was a teen. Never got pregnant once. To all you teen moms out there, for better or worse, y’all knew what you were doing when you let him finish inside of you. Stupid.
Alexa, I do agree that Gary encourages this behavior. He needs to grow some (although I do respect him for his restraint). He made a huge mistake on his daughter’s part going to court with Amber so she could get her back. This will likely come back to bite him in the fat ass if he NEEDS to take Leah away from this psycho.
Disgusting.
Personally, I haven’t seen the show, but the attached clip brought about a very visceral reaction in me. No one deserves to be hit and belittled by their partner. No one. I don’t care if he “goads her on” – he’s a teenager in an abusive relationship, just trying to keep his head above water.
The hippie in me wants to see her in anger management.
The domestic abuse survivor in me wants to see her in a relationship with a WEC cagefighter. That’ll teach her to keep her hands to herself.
These shows are the rich left-wing media living off/exploiting the less fortunate/less educated.
Here is the “human” (Lauren Dolgen) who created this reprehensible p.o.s.
http://www.thewrap.com/television/column-post/dolgen-named-svp-mtvs-series-development-17699
Find her, write to her, let’s get this crap off the air.
It’s just embarrassing to think that in an enlightened society anyone would call this entertainment.
Wow at all of the abuser apologists coming out of the woodwork. What, do you need justification for something in your own life?
Reasonable, sane people understand that hitting someone you love is NEVER acceptable, whether or not they were “encouraging it”. That is such a victim-blaming mentality, it makes me ill. No one ASKS to be hit! Be they male or female – and men and women are equally likely to be the abuser or victim in domestic violence situations – no one should have to put up with being hit.
These poor children (all three of them) need some serious parenting. Two kids made a baby; they are not equipped to be parents; exploiting their pain will only exacerbate their poor coping and decision-making abilities.
God help them.
Does anyone actually believe that Gary is living in fear of Amber? Yes,it’s terrible that she hit him and the one positive thing showing this on t.v. is that he does the right thing and doesn’t hit her back.
@ Embee – God help us ALL.
@ JenJen – I think Gary may actually think it’s kind of funny. In his mind, I think it makes him look “good”, which is pathetic.
Anyone who’s been abused knows it’s only a short step until your abuser starts abusing your child. And that’s why us survivors defy death to get away from our abusers.
Wow i just looked at the charges hopefully she can get a plea deal and probation amd move forward.
I’ve always felt Amber never wanted Leah, and unlike Macy, she never “grew” to love Leah as a daughter. I feel that because she never wanted Leah and never grew to love her, she takes it out on Gary. That’s why I believe she has such a bad temper.
Bottomline: No child should grow up in a household with VERBAL or PHYSICAL abuse going on. The biggest problem I have with Amber is the verbal abuse. I grew up in a household where at least one parent was screaming/yelling every night, and you constantly live with anxiety and fear. Leah was present for many of these altercations, and I’m glad someone took notice.
Hopefully Leah will find a loving household with Gary. As goofy and dumb as he can be, he doesn’t hit Amber. And I think he loves Leah. So, yea.
@the original bellaluna: Yes, you are correct. If you truely live in fear of someone,you will protect your child from them at all costs, which Gary does not do.
@ JenJen – Word. I went into hiding to get away from my abuser, and he still found me. Happy to say he’s been out of my (and, more importantly, my child’s) life for over 17 years. The fear may subside, but it never truly goes away. If he showed up at my door today (highly unlikely, but I wouldn’t put anything past him) I’d shoot him, or have a heart attack, or both. That kind of fear doesn’t just go away.
‘At least now Leah will be cared for by Gary’s family and hopefully won’t have to live with an abusive mother with a hair trigger temper.’
I’m sorry but emotional abuse is just as bad as physical abuse. He didn’t hit Amber but that doesn’t make him more fit to raise Leah. He needs just as much counceling and parenting classes as Amber. What happens when he turns his emotional manipulations towards Leah b/c Amber isn’t around?
Amber deserves to answer for what she did and I would never excuse hitting someone. However Leah isn’t any better off being raised by Gary.
@the original bellaluna- I am glad you and your child are safe and happy. I know what you mean,the fear never really does go away,even if the person causing it has. You always have to hope they stay away. It’s a sensitive subject,more than just a debate to some of us.
I wish this daughter could be placed with a loving family. Both her parents are trash. The grandparents who produced those parents are as bad or worse. Even more disturbing than the way Amber abuses Gary is how she yells at and neglects Leah, calling her a brat and offering her crying child no loving empathy. MTV is complicit in the destruction of this innocent child. Shame on them.
Why are programs like this even on TV?!? It’s pathetic, shameful and inexcusable. I’m thoroughly disgusted and beyond furious that there are people who watch this and are ‘entertained’. You feel for these people, the kids, the situations? Then go and DO something about it! Volunteer, start a support center, be involved, just do something to help situations like this stop!
Gawd! No wonder as a race we’re f***ed…
I cosign with TOBellaluna (#10)‘s comment, entirely.
I’m certainly not throwing Gary any parades, but attacking the victim is just an attempt to rationalize & make excuses for Amber’s abusive behavior.
No one in their right mind would be doing that if the roles were reversed, & Gary was the aggressor. Women are just as capable of being abusive mentally & physically to a man. She really needs to get that under control, & shouldn’t have custody of Leah until she does.
I’m glad she’s being held accountable for her actions in *some* manner. Yes, she does look high, but I have to say it’s probably one of the best mugshots I’ve seen. Most people look much worse.
Gary is an awesome dad and he has more patience in a man than I have ever seen. It would be so hard not to hit that bitch back. Amber Portwood disgusts me, you are a sorry mother, girlfriend, and person. You deserve to be put in prison for your actions. You are setting a horrific example for your child, how selfish of you. Gary should take that beautiful baby and keep you away until you grow the hell up.
thankgod i though that somebody needed to finally something about her, i watch this show with my mom and its rediculous. oh and thats a real cute fance on hre in the second picture, pathetic
Words can not express how sad this is. For everyone involved. I truely hate this. It is wrong on every level. She has a problem for doing it and he has a problem for allowing it. He should of left after the first time. Which was way before the baby. If he would have left none of this with him would have happened. There goes life. Should have, could have, would have, but didn’t.
In my opinon Gary has been the problem since day one and I can’t understand for the life of me why people put him on such a high pedestal. I feel sorry for Leah because every little girl needs her mother and I believe that if Amber is taken away for along period time Leah will resent Gary because all Leah’s friends will have their mothers and she wont and thats horrible. WELL AT LEAST I THNK SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with one thing only, you should not be hitting people. But Gary is not perfect!!! He has done some things to her to where she actually handled it well,but bottom line they should not be together, so hopefull there relationship is at an official end and no more of the back and fourth crap!! I think for the sake of the baby they need to stay apart