Artem Chigvintsev won’t face criminal charges following his arrest for suspected domestic violence that seemingly triggered his wife, Nikki Bella, to file for divorce.
The news was revealed in a statement released Tuesday by the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.
“Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced today that her office has declined to
file criminal charges against Artem Chigvintsev, age 42, in connection with his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence,” the statement read. “The decision to not file charges against Mr. Chigvintsev was made after a thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence presented to the DA’s Office.”
It added, “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.”
“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.”
The former “Dancing with the Stars” pro was arrested on Aug. 29, just days after he and Bella, 40, celebrated their second wedding anniversary. Both gushed over one another in Instagram posts on Aug. 26. “It was all meant to be,” Bella captioned a reel of highlights from their 2022 wedding in Paris. In his own post, Chigvintsev wrote, “can’t see my life with out you[.] You are my everything ❤️.”
Behind closed doors, however, the pair’s relationship had reportedly been volatile for years.
Chigvintsev was arrested after he made a 911 call, telling dispatchers that his wife had thrown a shoe at him. “Initially this came in as requesting medical, but now the RP [reporting party] is stating he got into an argument with his wife and his wife threw shoes at RP,” a 911 operator said in audio obtained by TMZ.
Following the call, Napa County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene and took Chigvintsev into custody after determining that injuries were involved. He was released later that day on a $25,000 bond.
Less than two weeks after the arrest, Bella filed for divorce from Chigvintsev, citing irreconcilable differences. She is seeking full custody of their four-year-old son, Matteo.
Chigvintsev responded to Bella’s petition with a request for joint custody and spousal support.
The dancer and the “Total Divas” star met when Bella competed on “DWTS” in 2017. The former WWE star was dating fellow wrestler John Cena at the time. They broke up in July 2018.
The Post has reached out to Bella and Chigvintsev for comment.