Florida man, Richard Atchison, arrested after he allegedly hit his wife with a Christmas tree after she asked for help with making dinner

Florida man arrested after he allegedly hit his wife with a Christmas tree after she asked for help with making dinner.

A Florida man allegedly threw a Christmas tree at his wife during an argument that was sparked when she asked him to help make dinner, authorities said.

Richard Atchison, 52, “lost his temper” in the couple’s Fruitland Park home Monday evening after his wife asked for help and put a spoon in the sink, accidentally splashing him with water, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by FOX 35 Orlando.

Atchison packed his things and went outside to his vehicle, before returning home because “he had been drinking” and told his wife to leave instead.

The argument escalated after the woman put a spoon in the sink, accidentally splashing the man with water, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrested the 52-year-old man at his home in Fruitland Park at about 7:15 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, the report says. He faces multiple counts, including domestic battery.

During the argument, the man started to leave the home but returned and demanded his wife leave instead, the report says. He then blocked the door and pushed her before picking up a Christmas tree and throwing it toward the kitchen, breaking it in half, police said.

He picked it up and threw it again, this time striking his wife, the report says. The couple’s daughter called police while authorities said the man forced his wife into a corner and yelled at her until deputies arrived on scene.

He is being held on an $8,000 bond, according to the sheriff’s office.

Atchison packed his things and went outside to his vehicle, before returning home because “he had been drinking” and told his wife to leave instead.

When the wife tried to go, deputies say Atchison shoved her, picked up a Christmas tree that was in the corner of the room and threw it at her, striking her. He then allegedly blocked the front door to prevent her from leaving.