Nikki Garcia has broken her silence by giving her first statement since her husband Artem Chigvintsev was arrested for domestic battery.
Chigvintsev, 42, was released on $25,000 bail Thursday, August 29, following his early morning arrest in Yountville, California.
Due to laws protecting the identity of domestic violence victims, Napa County Sheriff’s Office officials have not released the name, gender or age of the alleged victim, but reports indicated he was charged with corporal injury to his spouse.
In a statement Friday, a representative spoke on Garcia’s behalf in favor of privacy following the arrest.
Nikki Garcia broke her silence by giving her first statement after her husband Artem Chigvintsev was arrested for domestic violence
“This is a private matter and Nikki asks for privacy for herself and her family at this time,” a representative said. We Weekly.
Yesterday, officers said there was enough evidence to make an arrest.
Napa County Sheriff’s Office officials confirmed the veteran Dancing With the Stars pro’s arrest to Dailymail.com on Thursday, noting that deputies witnessed clear physical evidence of domestic violence before taking the ABC star into custody.
Chigvintsev was arrested in Yountville, California, early Thursday in connection with a suspicion of felony domestic violence by officers with the department, Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday.
“When it comes to serious domestic violence, it’s not just hearsay,” Napa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Henry Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday. “The officers saw something that is obvious.”
Wofford explained: “I’m not telling you this is what happened in this particular case, but sometimes there was evidence of blood, sometimes scratches, sometimes bruises, it’s something visible where the officers said, ‘Okay, we’re going to make this arrest.'”
Napa County Sheriff’s Office officials confirmed the arrest of 42-year-old Dancing With the Stars veteran Artem Chigvintsev to Dailymail.com on Thursday, noting that deputies witnessed clear physical evidence of domestic violence before taking him into custody.
Officers spoke to Chigvintsev and arrested him on a felony domestic violence charge, Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday, adding that the dance professional was “cooperative” and “did not fight with our officers or anything of that nature.”
A 911 call from the scene went out to the home around 8:30 a.m., people close to the investigation said. TMZ Thursday after an unidentified person called to report a “medical emergency” at the property.
Sources told the outlet that “paramedics and firefighters were on the way, someone from the home called 911 again to cancel the request” and both agencies returned to their stations.
According to the Napa County Arrest DatabaseThe specific state penal code applies to suspects who ‘intentionally (inflict) bodily injury resulting in a traumatic condition’ toward a ‘spouse or former spouse’; ‘cohabitant or former cohabitant;’ ‘fiancé or fiancée;’ ‘someone with whom the offender is, or previously was, in an engaged or dating relationship;’ or ‘the mother or father of the offender’s child.’
Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday that Chigvintsev was booked into the Napa County Department of Corrections at 10:40 a.m., with bail set at $25,000.
Chigvintsev posted bail around 2:15 p.m. and was no longer in custody Thursday night, Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday.
Wofford told Dailymail.com on Thursday that there was only one other person connected to the incident, but declined to identify the victim or provide details, as requested.
Wofford said that as of Thursday night, he was not aware of any protective orders filed by the victim or on her behalf by authorities.
“We will take our time as we do in every domestic violence case,” Wofford said. “No one gets preferential treatment and no one is left out.”
Wofford told Dailymail.com that the department was focused on providing “a support system for the victim.”
Three days ago, Chigvintsev celebrated his second wedding anniversary with his wife Nikki Garcia, 40, who previously wrestled in WWE under the name Nikki Bella. Pictured in New York in 2023
Wofford said an investigation was underway to determine whether Chigvintsev had violated any laws with his conduct prior to his arrest Thursday.
“We want the victim to know that we want to hear her story and if we need to investigate, whether it’s an isolated incident or whether it’s an ongoing incident, we’re happy to investigate,” Wofford said. “We’ll do everything we can to protect our community.”
Wofford said information about Chigvintsev’s pending court hearing dates was not immediately available.
Chigvintsev celebrated his second wedding anniversary with his wife Nikki Garcia, 40, who previously wrestled in WWE under the ring name Nikki Bella, three days ago and the couple are parents to a three-year-old son, Matteo.
The two first crossed paths in 2017, when they were both part of season 25 of Dancing With the Stars.
Chigvintsev has had high-profile relationships with other celebrities in the past, having been married to dancer Giselle Peacock, 43, from 2004 to 2005 and dating DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, 56, from 2006 to 2008.