Defendant ordered to take wife on date

PLANTATION, Fla., Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A Florida judge ordered a man arrested for domestic violence to treat his wife to a night of dinner and bowling and undergo marriage counseling.

Judge John "Jay" Hurley imposed the conditions on Joseph Bray, 47, of Plantation, after Bray's wife told the court she was not injured and was not in fear of her husband, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Wednesday.

The arrest report said Bray and his wife argued when he failed to wish her a happy birthday. Bray allegedly pushed his wife onto the couch, placed his hand on her neck and held up his fist. Bray did not strike his wife during the incident, Hurley said.

"It was a minor incident, in the court's opinion," Hurley said at Bray's bond court hearing. "The court would not normally do that if the court felt there was some violence but this is very, very minor and the court felt that that was a better resolution than other alternatives."

"He's going to stop by somewhere and he's going to get some flowers," Hurley said. "And then he's going to go home, pick up his wife, get dressed, take her to Red Lobster. And then after they have Red Lobster, they're going to go bowling."

The judge designed the date after questioning Bray's wife about her favorite restaurants and activities.

He also ordered Bray to seek marriage counseling within a week.