Joseph Bray of Plantation, Fla., was hauled into court in Fort Lauderdale this week, accused of pushing his wife onto a sofa, placing his hand on her neck and threatening to hit her. In a scene that could have come from an Elmore Leonard novel, Judge John "Jay" Hurley issued the following order:

"He's going to stop by somewhere and he's going to get some flowers. 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."

This curious case of alternative sentencing came after Mr. Bray, 47, was arrested after a domestic disturbance. The incident began when Ms. Bray complained that her husband hadn't wished her happy birthday, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported.

Had the charges been more serious, the judge said, the punishment also would have been more serious. Noting that Mr. Bray didn't actually strike his wife, the judge said, "It was a minor incident, in the court's opinion."

The judge also ordered marriage counseling.

Those Florida judges, they don't mess around.