George Zimmerman's ex-girlfriend recants story, assault charges dropped

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Prosecutors have dropped an assault case against George Zimmerman after his ex-girlfriend, Brittany Brunelle, recanted her story.

State Attorney Phil Archer told The Associated Press he wouldn't file a formal charge against Zimmerman, because there were no other eyewitnesses from the alleged event. According to Brunelle's original statement, Zimmerman allegedly threw a wine bottle at her and destroyed her cellphone.

"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.

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Zimmerman was arrested three weeks ago. Three days later, Brunelle asked in a statement that prosecutors not file charges against Zimmerman. She said that she "was under no pressure and had been offered no money" to make that statement, AP reports. The statement was released Friday by the State Attorney's Office.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.