Chumlee Arrest Update: ‘Pawn Stars’ Favorite Avoids Jail Time, Plea Deal Struck
Sounds like a plea deal has been struck for Pawn Stars favorite Chumlee, stemming from his March 9 arrest. TMZ says that the plea has been agreed upon and is just awaiting the judge’s signature to make it official. Austin Lee Russell, better known to the fans of popular History Channel TV show Pawn Stars, will be charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and felony possession of a firearm.
What is Chumlee’s reaction? Although no official statement was made, his Instagram post said it all! “Life’s a beach.” This has to bring a smile on the faces of all that love this affable reality star!
On Twitter, Chumlee did not post anything new to his 236,000 followers, yet he did retweet a couple of positive sentiments from fans. The past two months must have been difficult for this popular star, as there was so much negative press and comments about his arrest. He even deleted his original Instagram account because of the RIP comments.
Deleted it because of all the RIP COMENTS https://t.co/E3epN5jFfO
— Austin Russell (@chumlee_) May 10, 2016
@chumlee_ favorite person in the show
— Frizo Rizo (@FrizoRizoELFR) May 19, 2016
@chumlee_ glad to see youre out & doin well love the show probably goin to watch all them again on deployment wouldnt be the same without u
— Sgt Duttine (@Duttine94) May 19, 2016
Now the big question remains: When will Chumlee return to Pawn Stars?
Right now, nothing is being said by Rick Harrison, Chumlee’s boss and father-figure, nor is there an official statement from the History Channel. Sounds like a few things have to happen before anything can be officially announced.
First, the plea deal needs to be signed by the judge. Then, Chumlee needs to successfully complete probation. At this time, there is no information on the length of his probation. In addition, there is a question of whether or not a pawn shop employee can work during probation. In addition, fans of the show wonder if the co-worker accusing Chumlee of sexual assault is still working at the pawn shop and if this could cause any issues for Chumlee returning to work there and filming the show Pawn Stars.
Although initially Chumlee’s home was searched by officers due to a possible sexual assault, both parties examined the evidence and determined that nothing of the sort occurred. No charges were ever made. Instead, law enforcement that raided Chumlee’s home found weapons and drugs. The stash included 12 firearms — only four that were registered to Chumlee — one-gallon Ziploc with 116 grams of marijuana, two jars of marijuana (one with 8.2 grams and the other with 2.8 grams), one bag with 4.4 grams marijuana, seven capsules with 1.7 grams of meth powder, and 17 Xanax bars. Chum was charged with 19 counts of drugs and weapons. The trial was originally scheduled for May 23, over two months after the arrest. This arrest could have landed Chumlee several years in jail.
During this entire time since the arrest, the History Channel has remained mum on this situation. Rumors were floating around that Chumlee was fired from the pawn shop. Rick Harrison, the owner of the shop, emailed a statement that they would be there to “help in any way we can.” Chum’s best friend Corey posted a very Coreyesque Instagram post that pretty much told fans to not believe all of the gossip.
Chumlee also remained silent on social media until about a week ago. We can speculate that this was about the time that he knew that things were going to be ok and that a deal was going to be struck. Now, we need to know if Chumlee will be returning to Pawn Stars. Rumors say that he was fired, but his Twitter says something else.
Off right now but we will be back filming soon https://t.co/Fx4tdtBePb
— Austin Russell (@chumlee_) May 10, 2016
The millions of fans worldwide will breathe a sigh of relief once the word is officially out that Chumlee is indeed on Pawn Stars. They are fascinated and entertained by the top History Chanel show and the quirky and often historical objects brought into the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. The downtown Las Vegas shop was started by Rick Harrison with his father Richard. Rick’s son Corey is a part-owner and star of the show. Rounding out the group is the affable Chum. Chumlee has been Corey’s childhood friend and started working at the shop years before the show was filmed for television. His ability to bring humor to the sometimes bickering Harrisons is entertaining.
Is Chumlee your favorite on Pawn Stars?
[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
