It may be a small consolation to Artem Chigvintsev that he will not be prosecuted in connection with his arrest last month in Napa County on suspicion of domestic violence.
Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced Tuesday her office had declined to file criminal charges against the “Dancing with the Stars” pro, TMZ reported. While Chigvintsev apparently still faces divorce from his estranged wife, WWE alum Nikki Garcia, Haley said her office did not feel it would be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Russian-born ballroom dancer committed a crime.
Chigvintsev was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence on Aug. 29, regarding “a corporal injury” to an intimate partner that occurred in the Wine Country town of Yountville. The dancer had made a 911 call, requesting medical assistance and saying that shoes had been thrown at him, TMZ reported last month.
Chigvintsev subsequently canceled the request for assistance, but sheriff’s deputies turned up anyway and took him into custody. Napa County Sheriff’s public information officer Henry Wofford told E! News that an arrest for felony domestic violence is usually made when the alleged victim has a visible injury. “Our deputies felt comfortable arresting him on felony domestic violence charges,” Wofford said.
Several hours after Chigvintsev was booked into the Napa County jail, he was released on a $25,000 bond. And, he left the Napa County home he shared with Garcia and their 4-year-old son, TMZ reported.
The gossip site reported earlier this month that Garcia had been “making calls” to attorneys with the intention of filing for divorce from the dancer. TMZ also reported Tuesday that the estranged spouses are fighting over custody.
Prior to his arrest, Chigvintsev was not scheduled to return for Season 33 of “Dancing With the Stars,” E! News reported. But his arrest raised the possibility that he may never return to the ABC dance competition show.
News of Chigvintsev’s divorce from Garcia furthermore ended what appeared to be a reality TV-style fairy-tale romance, involving the two celebrities, who met while appearing together on the show. They partnered for Season 25 of “DWTS” in 2017, began dating and became engaged in 2020. That year, Garcia also gave birth to their son.
They married in a lavish Paris wedding in August 2022 and purchased a home in Napa Valley, surrounded by a large plot of land, the New York Post and Life and Style reported. They showed off their home for a November 2023 episode of “MTV Cribs.”
But behind the scenes, the marriage was troubled and “volatile” for years, the couple’s friends and former “DWTS” cast and crew members told TMZ. The alleged strain between the couple was “evident” to anyone who was in their circle, TMZ reported.