Assault Charge Against Former DC Deputy Mayor Dropped In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office dropped an assault and battery charge against Christopher Geldart, the former D.C. deputy mayor of public safety and justice, for an Oct. 1 incident outside Gold’s Gym in Ballston.

An Arlington General District Court judge on Tuesday agreed with the prosecutors' decision to drop the case against Geldart.

At Tuesday's court hearing, an attorney with the Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office played a video of police interviewing a witness, who said the man Geldart had been accused of assaulting, Dustin Woodward, was “the primary aggressor” in the incident, though it was “definitely a mutual thing,” The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Woodward alleged Geldart grabbed him by the throat. In video footage obtained by Fox 5, Geldart appearing to push Woodward, a personal trainer at the gym, before Woodward shoved his arms away. Woodward then swore out a criminal complaint against Geldart with a magistrate.

"The judge made the right decision. No criminal offense happened. Therefore, the charges were dropped and justice is served," said Karin Porter, Geldart's attorney, FOX5 reported.

Geldart had been D.C.’s deputy mayor of public safety and justice since early 2021, overseeing the city’s police force, emergency and fire response, jails and other agencies. He previously led D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

The Arlington incident also raised questions about Geldart's residency. Under District code, high-level appointees to the executive branch must be city residents during their time in office. An Arlington County police statement on the incident said Geldart lived in Falls Church, prompting concern that the deputy mayor was violating D.C. law.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Oct. 12 that she had accepted Geldart's resignation after he was accused of assault in Arlington and was facing questions about his residency in Virginia.

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