Florida Man Arrested After Hitting Wife With Christmas Tree After She Asked Him To Help Make Dinner

After becoming upset when his wife asked him to assist with dinner preparation, a Florida man was arrested after hitting her with a Christmas tree.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com, Richard Daniel Atchison, 52, was detained on Monday at 7 pm on felony counts of false imprisonment, breaching an order of protection, and domestic battery.

He was being held at the Lake County Jail under an $8,000 bond, which he was released from on Tuesday, according to Fred Jones, the public information officer for the Lakeland County Sheriff's Office.

After the couple argued inside their Fruitland Park home, Atchison "lost his temper," which led to the disturbing episode.

Atchison's 48-year-old wife, whose identity has not been made public, claimed to be preparing dinner when her husband yelled at her for asking for help.

According to the affidavit, she claimed that after they got into an argument, she accidentally splashed him with water when she threw a spoon into the sink.

She claimed that her partner gathered some stuff and went to his car before coming back and scolding her to leave.

According to the police report, the victim informed officers that when she tried to leave through the front door, Atchison grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from the entrance, causing her to fall.

The victim went into the living room and sat with a friend who was in the house at the time, shaken by what had just happened.

Soon after, Atchison picked up the Christmas tree in the room's corner and flung it in the direction of the kitchen. At that point, the tree had split in two.

The affidavit claims that the suspect then picked up the broken tree and threw it at his wife, striking her.

Atchison followed the terrified wife and kicked the door open as she ran into a bedroom and shut the door.

The lady also told authorities that she tried to flee the house once more, but Atchison stopped her. According to the police report, he was still screaming at her when they arrived.

Atchison reported to police that during an argument with his wife, she slammed a utensil into hot food, spilling it on the right side of his face.

He said, "I lost my temper," and I walked out. When he chose to go back inside after drinking, he told his wife to leave after packing clothing and heading to his truck.

According to the report, Athoson later admitted to police that their argument had been "verbal only" and that no physical contact had taken place that evening.

The night of the event, no emergency services were called to the residence, and no injuries were reported, according to a police spokesperson.

According to a police spokesperson who spoke to DailyMail.com, Atchison has been in and out of the Lake County Jail a total of 23 times since 1997 for different offenses, including 5 for domestic violence.

A "peaceful and tranquil community," Fruitland Park is situated northeast of Orlando. Some local experts refer to it as "The Friendly City," which is dotted with large oak trees and a fusion of Old and New Florida.