My Blog!: 'Teen Mom' Star Amber Portwood Reunited With Baby Leah

Friday, December 31, 2010

'Teen Mom' Star Amber Portwood Reunited With Baby Leah

Portwood still can't have contact with ex-fiancé Gary Shirley after domestic-violence arrest.
By Terri Schwartz

"Teen Mom" stars baby Leah and Amber Portwood
Photo: Scott Gries

"Teen Mom" star Amber Portwood's hope for the "no contact" order preventing her from seeing her daughter Leah to be lifted came true. Radar Online confirmed that a judge modified the initial order Wednesday so Portwood is able to have contact with her daughter, but she is still prevented from seeing ex-fiancé Gary Shirley.

Portwood has primary custody of Leah, but the "no contact" order was put into effect after she was arrested Monday over domestic-violence charges. She pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and was released on bail. Shirley kept baby Leah overnight Tuesday, but the Indiana Department of Child Services brought her back to Portwood's home Wednesday. If Portwood is convicted of any of the felonies for which she was arrested, she will lose custody of her daughter.

The charges stemmed from a September episode of "Teen Mom" that showed an altercation between Portwood and Shirley where she punched him in front of then-1-year-old Leah. Anderson, Indiana, police started investigating Portwood for domestic battery and child neglect and passed the case to the Madison County Prosecutor's Office, which issued the arrest warrant with three felony counts of domestic battery and one misdemeanor count of neglect of a dependent.

Child Protective Services have been strictly supervising Portwood since November. If they found her living situation to be unsuitable or felt that Leah was in any danger, she would be returned to her father's custody.

During the reunion episode after season two of "Teen Mom," 20-year-old Portwood opened up about the incident, saying, "I have no clue why I hurt Gary. I sort of do, but it's kind of beyond myself. I can't help myself. I have to get help and then help myself. I never notice how bad I am until I see it. And I feel so terrible. And it's like, did I really do that? The people who are around me, how do they feel? I don't remember it being that bad at the time. How did Gary feel? What the hell was I doing?"

Related Videos