George Zimmerman will not face charges for aggravated assault after his former girlfriend recanted her story that he threw a wine bottle at her and refused to work with police.
On Friday, Florida State Attorney Phil Archer said 31-year-old Zimmerman won’t face charges for the alleged incident. The ex-girlfriend reportedly made it clear she would no longer cooperate with police on the charges.
“While it is clear that the officers had probable cause to arrest Mr. Zimmerman… the subsequent recantation by the victim of her initial statement… precludes my office from proceeding further,” Archer said in a statement.
A police report from the time of the incident showed that Brunelle called Zimmerman a “psychopath” and appeared to be very upset.
The full report stated, “She advised that she had been in a verbal altercation over a painting, with George Zimmerman and that Zimmerman threw a bottle of wine in her direction when she attempted to leave… Zimmerman threw the cell phone on the ground, breaking it.”
Zimmerman was arrested earlier this month but denied that he threw a wine bottle at his ex-girlfriend or broke her cell phone. In a sworn statement three days later, 28-year-old Brittany Brunelle said she wanted the charges dropped, telling police that she was not pressured to recant and not offered any money to drop the case.
“The statements issued by the Lake Mary Police Department are not accurate,” Brunelle said in a handwritten note that accompanied her sworn statement. “I do not want to be contacted by the Lake Mary Police Department or the State Attorney’s Office.”
Zimmerman’s attorney, Don West, said George Zimmerman should have never been arrested in the first place.
“Certainly their decision not to file charges, we’re pleased by that,” West said. “It’s not particularly surprising. Early on in the case, she didn’t want to participate… It’s evident she recanted.”
The case was the latest bit of legal trouble for George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of killing teen Trayvon Martin in a 2012 incident in the Orlando suburb of Sanford. He was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, battery, and criminal mischief for allegedly pointing a gun at another ex-girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, but the case was dropped when she decided not to cooperate.
Zimmerman’s ex-wife, Shellie Zimmerman, had also accused him of destroying her iPad during an argument and told police he had a gun. No charges were ever filed against George Zimmerman in that case.
