No domestic violence charges on file against former El Paso assistant DA, arrest expunged

Editor's Note: This story has been modified to reflect new legal documentation obtained by ABC-7.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- 34-year-old Aaron Shnider, a former El Paso Assistant District Attorney, has been cleared of family violence accusations, according to legal documents.

The El Paso District Clerk issued an Order of Expunction in 2019, requiring the February 2017 arrest be expunged from Shnider's record. The District Clerk cited the fact that the charge never led to a conviction and that it was no longer pending prosecution.

The El Paso Police Department also issued a Clearance Letter in April of 2021, stating it had no arrest records on file under Shnider's name.

Shnider worked as an assistant district attorney under former D.A. Jaime Esparza. He resigned soon after the story came out in 2017. Shnider was previously accused of assaulting his girlfriend on the morning of February 1, 2017.

The following information comes from the original article published February 9, 2017. The details come from a court affidavit detailing the events of February 1, 2017.

According to court documents, the victim told police she had gone out for dinner with some friends while her boyfriend was working the previous night. She told police she was being "silly" and decided to hide in the closet when her boyfriend got home that night.

At about 12:30 am, the woman briefly observed her boyfriend's movements while hiding in the closet and noticed he got a beer from the fridge and appeared to be upset.

When she exited the closet, a "verbal altercation ensued," the document states, "The victim stated defendant grabbed and pushed her to the floor of the living room causing her pain and discomfort."

The woman told police she "felt pain to the left shin area of her lower leg because of the assault." Shnider left the apartment and the victim was unable to locate him when she went looking for him outside.

The victim was able to get ahold of Shnider on his phone and he told her "he was already asleep in an unknown location."

The complaint affidavits fail to clarify at what point Shnider arrived back at the apartment.

At about 7:30 am, the woman was sitting on a couch and noticed Shnider left his satchel right next to her as he walked out the door. The woman followed Shnider into the hallway to give him the satchel.

Shnider grabbed the satchel, then allegedly pushed the woman against the wall, the affidavit states. "The defendant placed (his forearm) up against her throat and pushed it towards her with his forearm for approximately five seconds," the document further states.

The victim told police she had difficulty breathing during the alleged assault.

ABC-7 reached out to the Office of District Attorney Jaime Esparza and received the following the statement from a spokesperson: "(Shnider) is on administrative leave and the incident is under review. The criminal case is being investigated by the County Attorney's Office."