George Zimmerman Arrested Again in Florida, Assault Charge 1/10/15
George Zimmerman -- the man acquitted by a Florida jury over the death of Trayvon Martin -- was arrested Friday in Florida on suspicion of aggravated assault...
By: Hot Coffee
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George Zimmerman Arrested Again in Florida, Assault Charge 1/10/15 - Video
George Zimmerman won't be prosecuted on aggravated assault charges for allegedly throwing a wine bottle at his girlfriend earlier this month, the Florida State Attorney's Office said Friday. The office reviewed reports and statements provided after Zimmerman's arrest on Jan. 9 and determined no formal charges should be filed. State Attorney Phil Archer said in a statement that "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."
Police said Zimmerman threw the bottle at his girlfriend during the alleged assault at his Lake Mary home. His lawyer told reporters that while the 31-year-old "has not been lucky with the ladies," he has also had a "rough time" since he was acquitted in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2013.
Zimmerman made bail after his arrest and was scheduled to appear in court in February. But prosecutors said the victim refused to attend a first scheduled meeting after the incident, and that she denied Zimmerman ever assaulted her or that she was fearful of him as investigators claimed. She also said she didn't want to proceed with the case.
In 2012, Zimmerman filed a defamation suit against NBC News but a judge dismissed that claim last summer. Zimmerman has appealed the judge's decision.
First published January 30 2015, 6:38 AM
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No Charges Against George Zimmerman in Assault Case
Story highlights A Florida opts not file a formal aggravated assault charge against George Zimmerman A girlfriend recants her claim that Zimmerman threw a bottle at her, she feared him He became a national lightning rod after being charged, acquitted in Trayvon Martin's death
State Attorney Phil Archer, whose jurisdiction includes Brevard and Seminole counties, announced Friday that his office won't file charges against Zimmerman, who first came to the world's attention for his arrest and eventual acquittal in the 2012 shooting death of African-American teenager Trayvon Martin.
Friday's announcement relates to the 31-year-old's arrest in Lake Mary, Florida, on January 9.
"While it 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 (alleged) victim of her initial statement along with new documents provided by the victim and her attorney precludes my office from proceeding further," Archer said.
Zimmerman attorney Don West had told reporters that his client was accused of throwing a wine bottle at a girlfriend. Police learned about it days later after coming "in contact with the (alleged) victim at a traffic stop," Lake Mary police spokeswoman Bianca Gillett said.
The woman has since denied that Zimmerman threw a bottle or that she ever feared him, according to a statement Friday from Lake Mary police.
"She also made it clear that she did not want to proceed with the case," said police, noting that Lake Mary police Chief Steve Bracknell "concurred with Archer's decision." "A lack of eyewitnesses or other corroborating evidence to dispute her version of the incident also contributed to the decision."
This is the latest instance since July 2013 -- when a jury found him not guilty of murder in Martin's death -- that Zimmerman has had a run-in with the law, only to have authorities decide not to push for a trial.
About two weeks after the verdict, he was pulled over for speeding in northern Texas. Much bigger troubles came in November 2013, when Zimmerman was taken into custody at his then-girlfriend's Apopka, Florida, home after the two allegedly had a heated fight.
He was arrested then on aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of domestic violence battery and criminal mischief, accusations, posting $9,000 bail days later. But after the girlfriend asked that the issue be dropped, Archer announced that prosecutors would not press charges.
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Aggravated assault case against George Zimmerman dropped ...
What are you apologizing for, George?
A patrol car video released Friday by Lake Mary, Fla., police shows a shackled George Zimmerman being driven to the city's police station after his arrest Jan. 9.
For much of the ride, the 31-year-old Floridian, wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the image of a military-style assault rifle on the back, sits with his head resting against the back seat, his hands bound behind his back.
But halfway through the 15-minute clip, there's a curious pop that causes Zimmerman, with a sheepish grin on his face, to turn forward the front of the car and apologize.
For what, it's not clear.
"Sorry, that was me, sorry," Zimmerman says during the ride.
Did he pass gas? Smack his leg against the patrol car's divider? Unfortunately, Zimmerman couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday. You be the judge by watching the video.
The clip's release came after a local prosecutor declined to press charges against Zimmerman for a Jan. 5 scuffle because the alleged victim recanted and refused to press charges.
The accuser, Brittany Brunelle, originally told officers that Zimmerman, who made national headlines for killing unarmed teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012, had broken her phone and thrown a wine bottle at her as she tried to break things off.
She called Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder for shooting the 17-year-old Martin, a "psychopath," according to a police report.
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SEE IT: George Zimmerman makes indefinable noise in cop ...
This image provided by the Seminole County Sheriff`s Office shows former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman after he was arrested Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, in Apopka, Fla. Zimmerman was charged with assault Monday after his girlfriend called deputies to the home where they were living and claimed he pointed a shotgun at her during an argument, authorities said. (AP Photo/Seminole County Sheriff's Office)
Seminole County Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma talks with media, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, in Orlando, Fla., about the latest arrest of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in July of criminal charges in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was charged Monday with assault after deputies were called to the home where he lived with his girlfriend, who claimed he pointed a shotgun at her during an argument, authorities said. (AP Photo/Willie J. Allen Jr.)
En esta foto del 9 de julio del 2013 se ve a George Zimmerman en una pausa en su juicio en Sanford, Florida, por la muerte de un adolescente desarmado. Una declaracin del condado de Seminole dijo que Zimmerman fue arrestado el 18 de noviembre del 2013 despus que la polica respondi a un llamado en el que se reportaban disburbios en una vivienda. (AP Foto/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool, Archivo)
In this Monday, July 1, 2013 photo, George Zimmerman enters the Seminole County Courthouse, in Sanford, Fla., during his trial on second degree murder for the killing of Trayvon Martin. Whether they think he got away with murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin or that he was just a brave neighborhood watch volunteer standing his ground, many Americans cant seem to get enough of George Zimmerman. And he cant seem to stop giving it to them. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)
In this still image made from dash-cam video provided by the Lake Mary (Fla.) Police, George Zimmerman is detained by officers on Monday, Sept. 9, 2013. Police in central Florida have been focusing on a broken iPad in their investigation of a domestic dispute between George Zimmerman and his estranged wife Shellie this week. Shellie Zimmerman called 911, saying her estranged husband was in his truck and threatening her and her father with a gun. She also said her husband punched her father in the nose. Hours later, she told police she hadn't seen a gun. (AP Photo/Lake Mary (Fla.) Police)
In this still image made from dash-cam video provided by the Lake Mary (Fla.) Police, George Zimmerman is detained by officers on Monday, Sept. 9, 2013. Police in central Florida have been focusing on a broken iPad in their investigation of a domestic dispute between George Zimmerman and his estranged wife Shellie this week. Shellie Zimmerman called 911, saying her estranged husband was in his truck and threatening her and her father with a gun. She also said her husband punched her father in the nose. Hours later, she told police she hadn't seen a gun. (AP Photo/Lake Mary (Fla.) Police)
George Zimmerman, right, is escorted to a home by a Lake Mary police officer, Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, in Lake Mary, Fla., after a domestic incident in the neighborhood where Zimmerman and his wife Shellie had lived during his murder trial. Zimmerman's wife says on a 911 call that her estranged husband punched her father in the nose, grabbed an iPad out of her hand and smashed it and threatened them both with a gun. Zimmerman was recently found not guilty for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
George Zimmerman, right, is escorted to a home by a Lake Mary police officer, Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, in Lake Mary, Fla., after a domestic incident in the neighborhood where Zimmerman and his wife Shellie had lived during his murder trial. Zimmerman's wife says on a 911 call that her estranged husband punched her father in the nose, grabbed an iPad out of her hand and smashed it and threatened them both with a gun. Zimmerman was recently found not guilty for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
In this June 24, 2013 file photo, George Zimmerman, left, arrives in Seminole circuit court, with his wife Shellie, in Sanford, Fla. Shellie Zimmerman called police on Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, saying her husband threatened her and her dad with a gun. Zimmerman was acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool, File)
Shellie Zimmerman, wife of George Zimmerman, pleads guilty at the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford, Fla. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013. Shellie Zimmerman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor perjury charge for lying during a bail hearing after her husband's arrest, and she was sentenced to a year's probation and 100 hours of community service. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Gary W. Green, Pool)
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