BOCA RATON, FL — A Boca Raton woman allegedly bit a portion of her husband’s ear off during an argument as he drove along Interstate 95, then laughed as blood poured from the injury, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
Amy Arlene Baker, 43, was charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm and two counts of child neglect after the Aug. 15 incident, which began as the couple drove home from a boat party at the Fort Lauderdale Marina.
The couple’s two children, ages 7 and 1, were in the vehicle, according to the report.
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A Florida Highway Patrol trooper responded about 8:20 p.m. to West Boca Medical Center, where the husband was being treated for the injury.
The trooper reported seeing him lying in a hospital bed with a bandage covering his right ear and blood streaking down the right side of his neck and onto his clothing.
The husband told the trooper he and Baker began arguing about their relationship while driving near Broward Boulevard and northbound I-95.
He said Baker called him derogatory names, and he responded by asking, “Who is the one with a felony?”
The husband told investigators Baker then slapped the left side of his face while he was driving.
About two minutes later, he said, she grabbed his head and face with both hands and bit the right side of his ear, tearing off a portion. He said Baker laughed afterward.
Seeing the amount of blood, the husband exited the interstate and drove to West Boca Medical Center.
When the couple arrived, friends who had been following them in another vehicle took custody of the children, according to the report.
Baker gave investigators a different account. She said she called 911 because she believed her husband had been drinking and alleged that he struck her while they were driving.
Baker said the couple had been arguing about life insurance policies, liability and other personal matters.
She alleged her husband told her to “shut up” before backhanding her across the left side of her face. Baker told investigators she “lost control” and became “frustrated,” then grabbed his head and bit his ear.
Baker said she retrieved the portion of the ear and gave it to medical personnel.
According to Broward County court records, Baker was arrested in November 2020 on charges of DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, and two counts of DUI causing property damage.
She pleaded no contest in March 2022.
A judge withheld adjudication, placed her on probation for one month, suspended her driver’s license for six months, and ordered 50 hours of community service.
She was also granted permission to travel to the Caribbean for work purposes.