Prosecutors have suspended a case accusing a Grand Forks politician of assaulting his wife.
Roland Clifford Riemers, 74, was charged in late April in Grand Forks District Court with simple assault, a Class B misdemeanor, but last week Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Bialas filed a motion to suspend prosecution, saying in court documents "it would be in the best interest of justice" to halt the case.
"It was a frivolous charge to begin with," Riemers said Tuesday. "It's effectively been dismissed."
Riemers, a Libertarian who has run for numerous offices in North Dakota, was arrested April 23 at his Grand Forks home after Meixiang Liu, Riemers' wife of 10 years, told officers they had fought, according to court documents. Charging documents accuse Riemers of slapping Liu across the face and pushing her out of the house. Liu also said her husband "stomped on her foot," causing swelling and bruising that prevented her from being able to walk, according to court documents.
Officers said they could not see any injury to her face.
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Riemers said Liu started the fight and she "became 'wild' and hit him, so he tried to push her outside," officers said in court documents. He said he didn't know how Liu hurt her foot.
Riemers served two days in jail when arrested. He also has no prior criminal charges on his record.
"Domestic violence is supposed to be a pattern of abuse," he said of his arrest. "It's not supposed to be a one-time incident."
The order will suspend the case for six months under certain conditions. That includes not committing any felony or misdemeanor crimes during that time and paying Liu's medical treatment as a result of the incident.
If Riemers meets all criteria, the charge will be dismissed. If not, the case will be reopened, Bialas said.
Riemers is not admitting guilt by signing the order, Bialas said, adding a suspension of prosecution is rare in North Dakota.
Riemers and Liu are in the process of finalizing a divorce. He said the criminal case did not play a role in the divorce, which he said he filed after his wife asked him to.
