Ashley Edwards/Facebook/Manatee County Sheriff's OfficeA man was arrested after allegedly spitting in his girlfriend’s face when they were arguing about the woman’s request to try ‘slavery roleplay’.
Kenneth Atkins was arrested for misdemeanor battery at the home he shares with his partner in Bradenton, Florida, and booked into the county jail in the early hours of the morning last week.
The altercation reportedly began on Tuesday evening (August 6) when Atkins’ girlfriend, 35-year-old Ashley Edwards, said she wanted to try roleplay in the bedroom, with Edwards pretending to be a ‘slave’ while Atkins was the ‘slave master’.
Ashley Edwards/FacebookAccording to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun, Edwards told police she wanted to play ‘slave and slaver because she is African American and he is Caucasian’.
37-year-old Atkins is said to have turned down the suggestion, saying he ‘did not wish to partake’ in the fantasy. An argument ensued and the man is said to have become ‘verbally aggressive’. During the course of the altercation he allegedly spat in Edwards’ face.
Officers from Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene at around 11PM and the affidavit states ‘contact was with Kenneth’. Atkins reportedly ‘denied the allegations and/or any physical confrontation’ and Edwards did not appear to have been injured during the argument.
Manatee County Sheriff's OfficeThe 35-year-old refused to give officers a statement on the situation, saying she did not want her partner to be arrested, however Atkins was booked into jail before being released the following day.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on September 8 and as part of his release conditions Atkins is allowed ‘consensual contact’ with Edwards.
Kenneth Atkins/FacebookAt the time of his arrest, the 37-year-old was out of jail on a $1,500 bond for a felony grand theft charge which is still pending. He had been arrested in May for allegedly stealing merchandise from Walmart, the Mail Online report.
Atkins has had a number of convictions in the past, including grand theft, burglary, battery, loitering, violating probation and narcotics possession.
In May, Edwards reportedly began serving a two-year probation sentence for a felony theft conviction.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.