Artem Chigvintsev will not be prosecuted after his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence.
On Tuesday, September 24, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced that her office has decided not to file criminal charges against Dancing with the stars alum, 42, after his arrest in August.
According to a press release, Haley said the decision was made after a “thorough review of the criminal investigation” and the evidence presented in the case.
Nikki Garcia ‘still seeks privacy’ after filing for divorce from Artem Chigvintsev following his arrest
Artem Chigvintsev.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
“While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to press charges only when they are supported by evidence,” she wrote. “We are required to prove every single charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system. If the available evidence does not reach this level of evidence, then we cannot ethically press charges.”
Although the prosecutor’s office will not file criminal charges against Chigvintsev, Haley wrote that they may reconsider the case if they learn of other incidents, facts or evidence that were previously unknown.
PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Chigvintsev for comment.
On August 29, Chigvintsev was arrested and taken into custody in Napa Valley, California, on a charge of spousal battery just before 10 a.m., two days after he and his wife, Nikki Garcia, celebrated their second wedding anniversary. The Russian-born dancer was released the same day on $25,000 bail.
Although it was never specifically confirmed that Garcia was the spouse in question, Chigvintsev stated in a 9-1-1 call the same day after his arrest that Total divas the alum threw shoes at him and asked for medical help.
At the time, Garcia’s rep told PEOPLE, “This is a private matter and Nikki is asking for privacy for her and her family at this time.”
Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev relationship timeline
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Nikki Bella, Artem Chigvintsev and their son Matteo.
Nikki Bella/Instagram
Two weeks after his arrest, Garcia filed for divorce on September 11 after nearly two years of marriage.
In her divorce petition, which was reviewed by PEOPLE, the WWE student asked for legal and physical custody of their son and only child, Matteo. The documents demanded that Chigvintsev be granted visitation rights with the child.
The TV personality, 40, cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for divorcing the professional dancer. Garcia also asked the court to terminate spousal support for both parties. In response to her request, Chigvintsev stated that he is seeking joint legal and physical custody of their son, as well as spousal support and attorney’s fees and costs.
Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia are ‘focused on co-parenting and working together,’ says his lawyer
Garcia and Chigvintsev met in 2017 when they were paired together in season 25 Dancing with the stars, where the sixth were eliminated. They welcomed Matteo in July 2020. According to court documents, they married in January 2023.
“It’s something I’ve dreamed about my whole life,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “I can’t imagine life without being a mom and experiencing the miracle of life and raising a child. I’m just so family-oriented that I couldn’t imagine not having that family life.”
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If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education