Update!

Teen Mom Amber's On-Camera Freak-Out Draws Domestic Violence Charges

Reality star's allegedly violent behavior is fast catching up with her

By Josh Grossberg Nov 18, 2010 6:45 PMTags
Amber PortwoodMTV

It's a lesson this teen troublemaker won't soon forget.

Amber Portwood, star of MTV's hit reality series Teen Mom, has been charged with two felony counts and one misdemeanor for domestic violence and battery, E! News has learned.

Mitch Carroll, spokesperson for Indiana's Anderson Police Department, said the charges were filed after authorities probed allegations that Portwood had beaten her now estranged baby daddy, Gary Shirley, in front of their 2-year-old daughter, Leah. To aid their investigation, detectives subpoenaed footage that had never aired on her show.

The case has now been referred to prosecutors, who will ultimately decide whether to press charges against the 20-year-old mother turned tabloid fixture.

"The investigation officer has charged Amber, but now it is in the hands of the D.A. to pursue those exact charges," Carroll told E! News. "Most of the time the charges submitted will be the charges that are filed. Once the charges are filed and the warrant issued, officers can pick Amber up on the warrant."

So far, no warrant has been issued. If convicted, she could face up to three years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Portwood has so far denied the charges.

"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."

On Oct. 20 however, Amber—accompanied by her attorney—gave investigators statements on what went down, admitting that the domestic violence was real and not staged by MTV.

Shirley confirmed her account, alleging that Portwood kicked, punched and knocked the teen daddy on the head, an incident that took place more than six months ago and was captured by the network's cameras. But Indiana's finest didn't launch its investigation until the episode aired last month and then set about interviewing both parties, who've since split.

On a subsequent Teen Mom reunion show, Amber confessed to having a violent temper and barely remembering the couple's dust-up because she "whited out," as she put it.

Let's hope Leah doesn't remember, either.

—Reporting by Michelle Falls