Florida Man Reportedly Threw Christmas Tree at Wife Because She "Asked Him to Help With Dinner"
He was arrested by police.
Studies show that women shoulder the bulk of effort when it comes to the holidays, and for one woman, the Christmas season turned into a spectacle simply because she dared ask her husband for help. Richard Daniel Atchison, 52, reportedly threw a Christmas tree at his long-suffering wife after she asked him for help with the cooking. Atchison has since been arrested on felony charges, including violation of an injunction, false imprisonment, and domestic battery—here's what happened.
Atchison's wife (who remains unnamed in the official reports) was reportedly making dinner in their home in Fruitland Park, Florida when she asked her husband for help—which made him angry. The wife also accidentally got him wet after dropping a spoon in the sink, making him even angrier. At this point, the man said he was going to pack up and leave the house.
Instead of leaving, the man decided he was going to stay, and his wife should be the one to leave, according to reports. When she attempted to leave the house, he prevented her using physical force. The shaken woman went back in and sat down with a friend who was visiting, and Atchison picked up the Christmas tree, breaking it in the process, and launched it towards the kitchen.
Atchison reportedly threw part of the tree at his wife, striking her. When she tried to escape and hide from him in a bedroom, he followed and tried to get in. He was still shouting at her when the police arrived, according to the report obtained by the Daily Mail.
Atchison told police he and his wife were arguing when she slammed a utensil into hot food, which spattered on his face. He admitted to losing his temper but said nothing physical happened. He also admitted he had been drinking.
Atchison was arrested on felony charges of violation of an injunction, false imprisonment, and domestic battery. This is not his first brush with the law: According to a police spokesperson, the man has been in jail 23 times since 1997, with 5 of those violations related to domestic violence.
