Cops Called For Another "Teen Mom" Tussle

OCTOBER 21--One of the young couples regularly seen battling each other on MTV’s generally loathsome “Teen Mom” series was at it again early yesterday, according to Indiana police.

Amber Portwood and Gary Shirley got into a dispute after he received a text message that she thought was sent by another woman. Shirley, 23, told Madison County Sheriff’s Department deputies that he left his house “and Amber followed him and she threatened to batter him.” He added that Portwood, 20, “had a history of battering him,” according to a sheriff’s report.

That claim appears supported by the MTV program, which follows the couple as they attempt to raise their young daughter. On several episodes, the volatile Portwood is seen hitting and threatening the hulking, 260-pound Shirley, who is not seen retaliating. These assaults, one of which is pictured at left, usually occurred in front of the pair’s child.

Deputies arrived at Shirley’s Anderson home after Portwood called cops to report being pushed out of the residence while in her underwear. She said that while Shirley pushed her from the home, she “was never punched.” Nobody was arrested.

In an interview yesterday with Lt. Tim Basey, Portwood said she has been under a lot of stress due to an ongoing battery investigation being handled by local police. Portwood explained the probe stemmed from incidents “where she supposedly battered Gary during filming of the MTV reality show ‘Teen Mom.’” Basey reported that, “Amber advised she wanted to leave and get away from Gary but was unable to take their young daughter with her due to her apartment having everything boxed up. She didn’t want Gary to tell everyone she was abandoning her baby because she wasn’t.”

In a video clip on MTV’s web site, Portwood speaks about her abusive behavior towards Shirley: “I have no clue why I hurt Gary…I sorta do, but it’s kinda beyond myself. I can’t help myself.” (2 pages)