Boxer Victor Ortiz's Charges Dismissed in 2018 Sexual Assault Case

Prosecutors in Ventura County, California, dropped sexual assault charges against boxer Victor Ortiz on Monday.

Per Megan Diskin of the Ventura County Star, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office is no longer pursuing the case because it couldn't prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

TMZ Sports shared a statement from Ortiz:

"Although I was confident this would be the result, this still has been a terrible and unimaginable ordeal that I am relieved to put behind me.

"With this case no longer my focus, I look forward to picking up and advancing my boxing and entertainment careers.

"I can't wait to get back in the gym. I also look forward to spending my time with my two young children, my family and loyal friends without the weight of these charges hanging over me and my loved ones."

In September 2018, Ortiz turned himself in to authorities after a woman said he had sexually assaulted her. He had been charged with forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and forcible digital penetration.

"Little else was known about the allegations, due in part to the public's exclusion from the case's December 2019 preliminary hearing," Diskin wrote.

The ongoing case led promoters to cancel Ortiz's scheduled fight with John Molina Jr. on Sept. 29, 2018. His last fight was a draw with Devon Alexander in February 2018.

Mark Pachowicz, Ortiz's defense attorney, told Diskin the defense sought to have more evidence presented in the case and that the prosecution reevaluated its decision to charge after the evidence was brought into discovery.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Brent Nibecker cautioned that Monday's decision doesn't equate to a finding of factual innocence.

"There are times we determine the defendant is factually innocent and this is not one of those times," Nibecker said.