Domestic altercation caused by man's scratching

Ronald Howard was sitting on his couch “scratching his testicles” on Monday when his girlfriend told him to cease, “because it was rude and disgusting and she was about to eat dinner,” police have reported.



Howard, 30, reportedly rose from the seat at the Florida home he shares with Shalamar Petrarca, 25, and yelled at her to “stop judging him.”

Petrarca told Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies that Howard pushed her to the ground, causing a scraped ankle. In an interview with investigators, Howard claimed that Petrarca punched him in the eye for “scratching his balls.”



While Howard did not have any visible injuries, Petrarca had “a scratch on her leg that was consistent with her version of events.” Howard was arrested for misdemeanor battery and booked into the Manatee County jail.