Nikki Garcia’s estranged husband Artem Chigvintsev will not face domestic violence charges after a ‘thorough’ criminal investigation was completed by the Napa County District Attorney.
Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced Tuesday that her office has declined to file criminal charges against Chigvintsev, 42, in connection with his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence, which led to Garcia, 40, filing for divorce.
The decision to not file charges against Chigvintsev was made after a thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence presented to the DA’s Office.
‘While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence,’ Haley said in a statement obtained by DailyMail.com.
Nikki Garcia’s estranged husband Artem Chigvintsev will NOT face domestic violence charge after ‘thorough’ criminal investigation
‘We are required to prove any and every criminal charge “beyond a reasonable doubt” which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system. If the available evidence doesn’t rise to this level of proof, then we cannot ethically file charges.’
Domestic violence can either be filed as a felony or a misdemeanor and has a statute of limitations of three years or one year, respectively.
At any time within the statute of limitations, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office may revisit the case if it learns of other incidents, or otherwise learns of facts or evidence not previously known.
Haley added that the Napa County District Attorney’s Victim Services Division works closely with victims of domestic violence and other crimes and links them to available resources whether charges are filed or not.
