In Indiana and other states, domestic violence in front of a child under the age of 14 can result in felony charges, Caryn Burton, training director at the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, told HollywoodLife.com. There has also been some talk about whether the MTV camera crew's decision to not intervene in the attacks could merit misdemeanor charges, as it is similarly against Indiana state law to not report witnessed domestic or child abuse.
'Teen Mom' Under Investigation for Domestic Abuse in Front of Child
By John Mitchell Posted Oct 20th 2010 02:00PM
In Indiana and other states, domestic violence in front of a child under the age of 14 can result in felony charges, Caryn Burton, training director at the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, told HollywoodLife.com. There has also been some talk about whether the MTV camera crew's decision to not intervene in the attacks could merit misdemeanor charges, as it is similarly against Indiana state law to not report witnessed domestic or child abuse.
The story was addressed in-depth this morning on the 'Today' show.
According to Life & Style, whose headline this week refers to Amber as an "Out-of-Control MONSTER," Portwood has become something of a pariah in her hometown since her violent behavior aired on a Sept. 28 episode of 'Teen Mom.' In an editorial entitled "Reality TV Giving Wrong Impression of Anderson" in a local newspaper, The Herald Bulletin, an Anderson-based reporter had a lot to say about Amber's behavior.
"She kicked and punched him seven times before kicking him in the back as he walked down a flight of stairs ... Reality shows prey on featuring people who appear to be undereducated, narcissistic and full of anger," the piece reads. "'Teen Mom' is not the national image Anderson wants. We don't push our loved ones down stairs. We don't take pride that our teenage girls are 16 and pregnant. We don't all drop out of high school."
At the time, MTV told the Herald Bulletin: "Our role in 'Teen Mom' is to document how incredibly challenging and difficult being a teen parent is. In this particular instance, we monitored the situation to make sure no one was in imminent danger and that the child was not there."
However, the child, Leah, was present during at least one of several different altercations between Amber and Gary, and according to HollywoodLife.com, "Failure to report child abuse/neglect is a crime ... Indiana law requires any person who has reason to believe that a child is a victim of abuse or neglect to make an immediate oral report to DCS or to law enforcement."
When confronted about the situation by Pinsky, Amber broke down in tears and claimed to have "blacked out" during the incident, saying she only remembers striking Gary once. For his part, a source close to Gary told RadarOnline that he believes Amber is a "great mother."
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From what I know, the only way that a child can have the kind of trust account that will be saved for them is to have the county surrogate to hold it until they turn 18, and the only way to get the money out before then is with a judge's order.My boyfriend and i both think so ...He is almost 11year older than me .i met him via kissmilita ry.co'ma nice place for s'ee'king Army, Navy, Mari'nes, Air Force, Police Force and their admires.just love it
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This girl is a total bytch and he's a slob. I hate to say it but he deserves better. A couple of these girls seem to have their head straight but this girl.....I could knock the crap out of her!
Hey Lisa! Listen to yourself. Talk about ignorant trailer trash. She can't hit her husband, but you want to hit her? Go to work on the streets trailer trash.
Really for KEN Hey Ken what husband...is is a sperm donor that is also the father of the child.
This is disgusting and gives teen moms a bad name that actually take care of their kids and are mature,hard working young moms..this is glamourizing disgusting immature individuals.
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Dear, this does not give teenage mothers a bad name. That is like saying Micheal Vick gave dog fighting a bad name. Go back to school soon, honey!
Frankly, any teenager pregnant in this world, given the numerous methods of birth control, is frankly disgusting. Irresponsible behavior at it's height. Don't tell me that teen moms are 'mature'. It is a sure sign of immaturity and irresponsibility that they get pregnant in the first place! I hate these shows. They pander to low level thinking and low brow lifestyles. I'm old school. I think pregnancy as a single person, much less as a teenager, is cause for disgrace. Not to be glamourized on television!
tadpoletales - I take offense to that!
I was a teenage Mom & I never behaved as badly or irresponsibly as those TV idiots, even the adults! I was a great Mother, raised a wonderful, caring member of society with a good job. I know quite a few teenage girls who did the best they could all by themselves & were better parents than many adult married "couples".
i agree, this is only promoting teen pregnancy not stopping. and i hope they throw the book at her!
If you are or were a teenage mom, then obviously you did something wrong! If you were stupid enough to have sex without protection or were having sex at all when you're a kid, then you're not responsible enough to be a parent. You're too into being "liked" from everyone (boys and friends) and I'm sure you relied on everyone else to pick up the slack.
Maria...Teens have NO business being Moms...duh there is tooooo much birthcontrol available..if you are "mature" enough for sex you should be mature enough to get on depro, the bill whatever & use a condom...tooo many sexually transmitted diseases like herpes, HIV, hep c are not curable. DUH teen moms do have a BAD name...STOOOOPID, SELFISH, lol toooo smart for their own good. It can't happen to me...their pooor babies having idiots for parents!
YOu are so right! I was a "teen mom". A married teen mom. I did things the right was as I got married then got pregnant. I was a good mother and have 2 kids who are now almost adults who are amazing. My son, 18 and my daughter 16 have never dated or been kissed...never done drugs...never had alcohol.....have 2 parents living in home......and 1 is going to a University now. I am so tired of listening to the likes of Oprah and Dr. PHil and Dr. Laura berating young people for getting married and having kids. It's girls like this that cause people to see all of us as "losers and mess ups". All of the girls in my family married young and had kids young....cousins and all. Seems to be working well for us.
He did it. He knows it. The Congress that confirmed him should be ashamed to have a judge of this stature in our highest court. It was the beginning of our country's downward spiral.
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What a brat. World don't owe her crap. Who cares if she's on a show?
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amen!
"don't"? Honestly, can't you at least write in English?
For everyone reading this: I think this young woman has anger issues because her expectations were different from reality. I think she believed herself and Gary were going to be together and raise little Leah together, which isn't the case. I also think she's angry that she had to grow up so fast and hasn't had any cooperation from those around her who should've been there to support her. I don't condone violence, from anyone, but I do believe this story is deeper than we are seeing. She needs anger management and some therapy. I think the child will suffer if she's not with her mom. Remember this young woman is just a child herself.
"kicking him in the back as he walked down a flight of stairs."
Attempted murder.
How can they not press some kind of charges?
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i feel awful for gary! i watch the show & everytime she yells at him i cringe but that episode where she attacked him physically really bothered me. 1.because hes a nice guy & doesnt deserve it & 2.because the cameras kept rolling & not one person tried to stop her. if that was a girl being punch, you know the camera crew would have been seen trying to stop the guy. & i dont wanna hear how its a guy so its different. im a girl & i can throw a punch =)point being i agree that charges should be pressed against her for sure!
for it to be attempted murder you have to actually have intention to try and kill someone. you can't through up attempted murder charges everytime someoe does something that might possibility in the grade scheme of things may have gotten someone killed. lol, that reminds me of sideshow bob in the simpsons when during his attempted murder charge after trying to kill bart for the umteeth millionth time he laments "Attempted murder? Now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel prize for attempted chemistry? Do they?"