It’s official… almost. Pawn Stars favorite Austin Russell, a.k.a. Chumlee, took a plea deal and was cleared of sexual assault charges when he appeared in court yesterday. The deal, according to News3LV , will keep Chumlee out of prison and free to continue his affiliation with the popular History Channel show that made him famous.
Russell was represented by David Chesnoff, who has built his reputation on representing other celebrities who find themselves in the midst of Las Vegas legal trouble. When a reporter asked Chumlee if he was looking forward to getting this behind him, Chesnoff answered for him. He stated, “Yes he is.”
Reality TV “Pawn Stars” personality tells judge he’s taking a plea deal that would spare him jail time https://t.co/D9QH7SQ0xL
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) May 24, 2016
The plea deal was a simple one, compared to most. Chumlee pleaded guilty to one count of drug possession in exchange for three years of probation.
Criminal defense attorney Garrett Ogata did not work on Chumlee’s case. However, he had this to say about the proceedings, the plea deal, and the outcome.
“Typical case where we always try to get resolved without having prison time. I think the prosecution here was fair. I think they’re fair generally they are fair whether you are well-known or just the regular person out there.”
Not surprisingly, customers outside of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop had mixed feelings about the results of Chumlee’s court appearance. Some people thought he should do time and not “get a break” due to his celebrity status. Others were happy with the outcome.
As recently reported by the Inquisitr , the only other legal trouble the reality star has dealt with is minor traffic offenses. Maybe that’s why so many of Chumlee’s fans were shocked by the news of his arrest.
‘Chumlee’ of ‘Pawn Stars’ won’t see jail on guns, drugs charges https://t.co/yCvfnN0AnT
— USA TODAY Life (@usatodaylife) May 23, 2016
Everyone remained silent after his arrest. Russell virtually disappeared off the face of the internet, except for the times he put some of his vast shoe collection on eBay. His girlfriend, Tanya Hyjazi, stayed silent as well.
The only two people who commented publicly were Corey and Rick Harrison. Each man stood behind Chumlee and indicated they would do whatever it took to help. Russell has been friends with Corey since childhood. The two often played together in the pawn shop after school and on weekends.
Chumlee is slated to return to court on June 1. During that time, the judge will finalize the plea deal and Russell can move forward with his life.
Deadline just posted an update relating to the case. Apparently, Chumlee has agreed to forfeit his property that was seized during the March 9 raid on his home. He has also agreed to take part in counseling sessions. If all goes well and he abides by the terms of his probation, a second gun-related charge will be dismissed.
No one knows the identity of the individual who claimed Chumlee sexually assaulted her. The only information that surfaced was the fact that she was a former Gold and Silver Pawn employee. Her name was kept out of the news for privacy reasons.
Do you think Chumlee should have been required to spend time behind bars? Or do you think his sentencing was fair? Feel free to leave your comments about his plea deal or the fate of Pawn Stars below.
[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]