Spouse Left State, Left Almost All Belongings Behind, And Made A Police Report That Did Not Result In Charges:

Location: Tennessee, USA

Ages: Me (24M), spouse (23F)

Hi everyone. I’m looking for general legal guidance regarding a situation involving my spouse (now separated).

On 02/04, my spouse and I were involved in a personal incident. That afternoon, we woke up around 2:00 PM. Shortly after waking, she complained of chest pain, chest pressure, and related symptoms. I repeatedly told her that she needed to go to the local emergency room for immediate evaluation. She refused to go to the local hospital and insisted on going to a hospital approximately 80 miles away instead. This disagreement over medical care is what led to the argument.

Instead of going to the hospital at that time, she began messaging a friend stating that she needed to leave and expressing fear. Some of those messages alleged that I monitored her behavior and that she was unsafe. Those statements were not accurate. During the same exchange, she also discussed plans to go out later that evening. I refused and again insisted that her health needed to come first and that she needed to be medically evaluated before doing anything else.

After continued arguing, I personally drove her approximately 80 miles to the hospital she requested. During the drive, she repeatedly apologized to me and stated she was sorry “for lying,” among other things.

Once we arrived at the hospital, she asked to go inside alone, which I respected. About an hour later, I asked hospital staff whether I was permitted to join her and was informed that she had made an allegation of abuse and that law enforcement would need to speak with her first. I asked whether I was free to leave and was told that I was, so I left and went to a friend’s residence.

Later that evening, two deputies contacted me. They explained that the complaint they received did not align with the information or timeline they were seeing and requested my account. I told them I normally don’t speak without counsel around, one said well based on what we have we would have to arrest you, so I provided a factual description of the events. They mentioned an alleged physical mark, and I provided photographs showing that the mark existed prior to that day. After reviewing everything, they told me that no charges were being filed and that the report would simply be documented. They also stated that the allegations did not make sense based on the evidence.

Despite this, my spouse later told others that there was a warrant out for my arrest. This statement was false. To my knowledge, no charges have been filed and none are pending.

There were also claims made that I stole money from her. I did not take any money from her, and there is no evidence supporting that allegation.

After the incident, she flew back to her home state. When she left, the only items she took with her were a hair brush, the clothes she was wearing at the time (pajamas, a shirt, and shoes), and a security blanket. She left behind the rest of her personal property, including clothing and other belongings.

I sought guidance through third parties regarding her belongings and was informed that she had no intention of retrieving them. After a period of time, the remaining items were disposed of. I ceased contact entirely and allowed her to block me on all platforms.

My questions are these:

1) Was I required to store the items for a specific amount of time or give formal written notice?

2) Is there a way to formally document or challenge a false report?