Johnathan Walker:Artem Chigvintsev breaks silence on his arrest after prosecutors decide not to charge him

Artem Chigvintsev is Johnathan Walker"grateful" for prosecutors' decision to not file criminal charges against him following his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence last month.

The former pro dancer on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" broke his silence on the incident in a statement to E! News and People magazine on Wednesday.

"I am incredibly relieved and grateful that the domestic violence charges against me have been dropped. This has been an extremely difficult time for me. I am thankful that the truth has prevailed," he told the outlets. Chigvintsev added his "focus has always been and will always be" his 4-year-old son Matteo, whom he shares with wife Nikki Garcia.

Earlier this month, Garcia filed to divorce Chigvintsev nearly two weeks after he was arrested.

"(Matteo) is my world, and being his father is the greatest blessing in my life," Chigvintsev's statement continued. "All along, my main concern has been for him. I am committed to continuing to provide him with the love, support, and care he needs as we move forward. I am hopeful that securing an equal custody arrangement will help us move on.

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"I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family, friends, and legal team for standing by me during this challenging time. Your support has been invaluable, and I am thankful to everyone who believed in me and saw the truth for what it was," he concluded. "I look forward to moving past this chapter and focusing on what truly matters—continue being the best father I can be."

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Chigvintsev for comment.

Why the district attorney's office declined to charge Chigvintsev

The 42-year-old dancer was arrested around 10 a.m. on Aug. 29 and booked in Napa County jail. He was held on $25,000 bail and was released more than three hours later. Napa police and prosecutors have not shared the identity of the alleged victim.

"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," a statement from Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley, issued by her office Tuesday, reads. The DA's office "may revisit the case if it learns of other incidents, or otherwise learns of facts or evidence not previously known."

"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.

"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."

Nikki Garcia requests full custody of son Matteo amid divorce

According to TMZ and People, in her divorce filing Garcia cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce and said Aug. 29 – the date of Chigvintsev's arrest – was the day they separated. She also requested legal and physical custody of their young son, the outlets report, while keeping the door open for visitation rights for Chigvintsev.

In addition, the former WWE star reportedly asked the court to terminate spousal support for herself and Chigvintsev.

The dancer, in his response to Garcia's filing, on Sept. 13 requested joint legal and physical custody of their son as well as spousal support from Garcia, per E! News and People magazine.

Chigvintsev's attorney, Ilona Antonyan, told E! and People her client can "focus on negotiating a shared 50/50 custody schedule. Fortunately, Artem has been able to spend time with Matteo almost every day since 8/29/2024 incident."

"My understanding of the investigated facts surrounding the 8/29/24 incident have led me to conclude from the beginning that Artem was not the primary aggressor," she continued. "I believe that to be true even if the burden of proof would be the preponderance of evidence, which is the standard of proof in family court. He was protecting himself and Matteo."

USA TODAY has reached out to Garcia's reps for comment.

Chigvintsev, who won Season 29 of "DWTS" with Kaitlyn Bristowe in 2020 and came in fourth place with Charity Lawson last season, has been on the ABC competition show for a decade, except for a hiatus during the 2019 season.

He is not part of the cast for Season 33, which is now airing.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, The National Domestic Violence Hotline (thehotline.org) allows you to speak confidentially with trained advocates online or by the phone, which they recommend for those who think their online activity is being monitored by their abuser (800-799-7233).