Surfer Blood Frontman John Paul Pitts Charged with Domestic Battery

Published Aug 14, 2012

Last fall, Surfer Blood announced that they were working with producer Phil Ek on their second album , but we haven't heard much from the buzzed-about indie rock band so far in 2012. So what have they been up to? It turns out that frontman John Paul Pitts has been embroiled in legal troubles after reportedly being arrested in the spring on charges of domestic battery. Pitchfork reports that the singer was arrested on March 31 in Lake Worth, FL. He later pleaded not guilty on May 4 and accepted a "plea and pass" agreement on July 13. This means that, if he successfully completes a court-ordered program, his charges will be dismissed next year.According to an offence report, the 28-year-old Pitts and his girlfriend got into an argument on the date of his arrest. Pitts reportedly claimed that he was going to harm himself, and this escalated into a physical altercation. Both Pitts and his girlfriend apparently displayed physical injuries but did not request medical attention.The report describes the incident like this:Pitts has not publicly commented on his legal troubles. The band have a few U.S. dates coming up in the next few months. See the schedule here