LAKE MARY, Fla. – Lake Mary police said on Thursday that video possibly showing the domestic dispute between George and his estranged wife, Shellie Zimmerman, may never be seen.
[READ: Police report | DASH CAM VIDEO: Zimmerman in cuffs | VIDEO: Surveillance released | Shellie holds news conference | PICS: Zimmerman apprehended | Zimmerman questioned | AUDIO: 911 call ]
Officer Zach Hudson tells Local 6 that the iPad that Shellie Zimmerman was recording with when the alleged incident occurred is so damaged that there is only a 5 percent chance police will get it.
He says LMPD has been working very hard to find a place where they know the workers won't try and sell the video they extract. They've found one in Miami, but now they're faced with added costs, Hudson said.
Investigators plan to meet Monday to determine if they will move forward with extracting the video.
Hudson said at some point, they have to weigh," "is all of this necessary for a possible misdemeanor charge?"
The iPad was key evidence on if George Zimmerman assaulted Shellie Zimmerman, as she claimed, or if Shellie Zimmerman hit George Zimmerman with the iPad, as he claimed.
Without video from the iPad or some other piece of independent evidence, legal experts say it will be hard to build a case because Shellie Zimmerman changed her story about her husband threatening her with a gun and decided not to press charges.
George and Shellie Zimmerman are staying separately in Lake Mary right now, Hudson said.
Shellie Zimmerman's attorney held a news conference on Wednesday night sharing her side of what happened, reading text messages between Shellie and George. Sims said that George Zimmerman was at the home when Shellie was trying to move things out, taking pictures and not saying anything.
The Monday incident came days after Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce and discussed her relationship with George Zimmerman during a TV interview.
Since being acquitted in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman has been pulled over twice for speeding.
Lake Mary is located about 20 miles north of Orlando and 5 miles southwest of Sanford, where Zimmerman fatally shot Martin.
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