George Zimmerman, the man who was acquitted in the shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin, was not charged with aggravated assault.
Zimmerman was accused of throwing wine at bottles at his ex-girlfriend.
“While it is clear that the officers had probable cause to arrest Mr. Zimmerman which was affirmed by the circuit court judge at initial appearances, the subsequent recantation by the victim of her initial statement along with new documents provided by the victim and her attorney precludes my office from proceeding further,” State Attorney Phil Archer said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Local police released photos of his arrest during the wine-throwing incident.
Wearing gun t-shirt MT @danajayFOX35: Zimmerman cleared in wine-throwing incident, sheriff releases pics from arrest. pic.twitter.com/72qSzjy0Lr
— Brett (@Brosner85) January 30, 2015
Since he was acquitted in 2013, Zimmerman has been involved in three other police encounters around the Lake Mary, Fla., area.
His estranged wife, Shellie Zimmerman, called 911 and told police he punched her father and threatened her with a gun. She didn’t press charges.
In November 2013, Zimmerman was arrested on domestic violence charges against his previous ex-girlfriend. She also dropped charges.
And last September, he was involved in a road rage incident.
This booking photo provided by the Seminole County
Brittany Brunelle said in the document, made public Friday, that she was under no pressure and had been offered no money to make the statement.
Officials had not previously identified Brunelle.
Prosecutors said Friday that Brunelle’s refusal to cooperate contributed to their decision not to file a formal charge in the case. Beyond her name and statement, prosecutors didn’t release any other details about her.
It was the latest run-in with authorities for Zimmerman since his 2013 acquittal in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin. The killing of the unarmed black teen touched off protests across the country.
With The Associated Press.
