As our readers may remember, Manny Ramirez of the Oakland A's was arrested last September on charges of misdemeanor battery stemming from an incident with his wife. According to sources, prosecutors have decided not to continue with the case.

The alleged domestic violence which gave rise to the charges took place at the couple home. According to Ramirez's wife, he hit her in the face with an open hand while they were arguing, which caused her to fall and hit her head on a section of the couple's bed. Because of the incident, Ramirez's wife was left with minor injuries including swelling on the side of her face and a contusion on the back of her head.

Ramirez's wife had reportedly contacted the police out of fear that the situation would become worse, though it did not. Following his arrest, Ramirez insisted on his innocence, saying that he had been holding his wife by her shoulders when she attempted to move and consequently hit her head.

The misdemeanor charges against Ramirez could have resulted in up to a year in jail.

As we noted when this incident first became known, it isn't always clear exactly what took place in an alleged domestic violence incident. Many times somebody gets arrested without police having a clear idea, let alone proof, for what has taken place. All of this has to be sorted out afterwards.

In this case, the charges were dropped because Ramirez's wife was not ready to pursue the charges. Specifics were not given on this, but it is important to recognize that domestic violence charges are only that, charges. Prosecutors must be held to their burden of proof, and a defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Source: CBS Sports, "Domestic violence charge against Manny Ramirez dropped," Matt Snyder, March 30, 2012.