Judge clears Goldsmith arrest

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Former Indianapolis mayor Stephen Goldsmith is free and clear of any wrongdoing in a domestic violence case that made headlines over the summer.

At the time Goldsmith resigned his position as deputy mayor of New York City saying, "I offered my resignation in order not to be a distraction to the mayor."

Sources tell 24-Hour News 8 a Washington D.C. Superior Court judge found “actual innocence” and sealed the case.

A legal finding of actual innocence is different form being exonerated of charges does not exist in Indiana so we turned to Georgetown University about the D.C. statute.

Professor Louis Michael Seidman said the accused must appear before a judge and "doesn't get this automatically. He or she has the burden of demonstrating actual innocence."

In other words, the judge found that no crime was actually committed.

At the time of his arrest, Goldsmith’s wife released a statement saying she and her husband merely had an argument, but officers insisted that D.C. law required he be arrested.

"There was no crime committed by Stephen or myself; there was no violence nor any physical harm. Clearly, the police report states otherwise. Upon reading the report, I immediately took steps to set the record straight and swore under oath that there was no physical harm and no crime was committed. No charges were ever filed. There were no injuries,” the statement read.

When asked for comment on the judge’s finding, the Goldsmiths told 24-Hour News 8 they were unable to comment since the case has been sealed.