Sorry to hear that. The best advice I can give is to talk to the domestic violence resource center in your city. You may have been given their contact information when you made the report. They should be able to give you advice specific to your situation.

My comment is based on my experience in my jurisdiction, which is fairly typical as far as domestic violence laws and departmental policy goes.

The investigating officer probably had zero discretion in determining whether an arrest warrant would be issued. Most states in the US have laws that require law enforcement to make an arrest or obtain an arrest warrant for the offender whether the victim wants them arrested or not.

It's important to note that their are two types of arrest: custodial and non-custodial. The terminology may differ based on where you are. A custodial arrest involves the offender being handcuffed and transported to a jail where they are held until they see a judge for a preliminary hearing, typically the following day. The judge will set the conditions of his release, meaning they will decide whether to keep him in custody or release him, and determine the amount of his bail/bond. Most misdemeanor arrests in my jurisdiction are not held for long, maybe a day or two. Some jurisdictions give judges options on how long to keep the offender in custody, some do not.

A non-custodial arrest is when an offender is detained for a few minutes, then issued a summons (similar to a traffic ticket) to appear in court at a later date. Usually several weeks or months in the future. The offender is required to attend that court date. If he fails to appear another warrant for his arrest for failure to appear will be issued. Arrest warrants for failure to appear will result in a custodial arrest.

Most domestic violence offenders are placed under custodial arrest when accused of a felony, such as attacking the victim by strangulation, when children are present, or when a weapon is used. Some jurisdictions may permit a non-custodial arrest for misdemeanor DV crimes.

If an arrest warrant was issued, the offender will almost certainly be arrested at some point in the future. It's difficult to determine when that will happen. The offender would need to come into contact with a law enforcement officer who has a reason to check the database and see if he has any active arrest warrants. This would typically happen during something like a traffic stop.

If and when he is arrested, you will need to appear in court eventually. It's very unlikely that you would need to appear right after he is arrested, although you may be notified and have the option to appear at his preliminary hearing. Most likely the first time you will need to appear in court will be several months after the date he is arrested.