Pastor Markus Bishop surrendered to Bay County sheriff's investigators around 8:00 Tuesday morning, but Tuesday afternoon the 47-year-old was back to work at his Faith Christian Family Church.

Sheriff's officials are charging the pastor with domestic battery against his wife, 42-year-old Margie Bishop.

According to the incident report, the Bishops got into an argument in their home at the Exclusive Preserve on the night of Sunday March 16. That's when Margie Bishop claims her husband hit her with his fist.

The next day Mrs. Bishop left their home and traveled to her parents’ house in Broward County. That's when she filed the report against her husband, but his attorney says Bishop did not intentionally injure his wife.

"He was watching television, went to sleep on the couch and woke up with her over him hollering at him. When he told her to go back to bed she threw a glass of wine in his face. They then started a pushing-shoving match and then she may have gotten injured in what I would call a wrestling match. Basically there was some pushing and shoving that took place," said Waylon Graham, Markus Bishop's attorney.

Along with the picture, Margie Bishop released a statement today saying "in the past I have tried to deal with Markus' violence and verbal abuse in different ways to no avail. For the benefit of the church and all those, including me, who continue to care for him, it is my sincere hope that he seeks and finally receives proper treatment for his problem."

She goes on to say "I am saddened by his attorney's public mischaracterization of the recent assault and their desperate attempts to focus the attention away from his brutal attack."

Bay County sheriff's investigators say they take all domestic abuse allegations seriously and handled this case just like any other similar complaint.

"Mr. Bishop was not singled out. We responded to complaints and we were assisted in this investigation by the Miramar Police Department down south. We take these cases very seriously and respond to them appropriately," said Jimmy Stanford with the Bay County Sheriff's Office.

Bishop is free on his own recognizance. He's due back in court March 31st for an arraignment.

A conviction on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in the county jail, but first offenders rarely receive that sentence.