Chumlee: No Jail Time For ‘Pawn Stars’ Favorite
Pawn Stars actor Chumlee has pleaded guilty to two felony charges but will not face any charges for sexual assault and will not serve any jail time, as reported by TMZ.
Back in March, police raided the home of Chumlee when a woman with whom he works at the Gold and Silver pawn shop in Las Vegas, Nevada, the pawn shop at the center of the History Channel reality TV show Pawn Stars, brought charges against him. The search of his home revealed something police did not expect when they entered. They discovered large amounts of marijuana as well as Xanax, drug paraphernalia, and weapons. The quantity of these items led police to believe that Chumlee may have been dealing drugs out of his home. He told them at the time that he didn’t deal drugs, that he simply smokes a lot of marijuana and so buys it in large quantities.
TMZ sources tell them that Chumlee will plead guilty to felony charges, none of them in association with the original charges of sexual assault. The felony charges include possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance. Chumlee will serve probation instead of jail time, and once he completes probation, the felony charges will be reduced to misdemeanors.
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Attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld represented Chumlee in the investigation. They, as well as police, conducted an exhaustive investigation into the sexual assault charges but report that there was not enough evidence to bring charges. The judge has not yet signed off on this deal. Chumlee’s court date is this Monday, May 23.
Rumors related to the employment status of Chumlee have circulated in recent weeks, with many speculating, based on his total absence from the store since the charges, that he had been fired from the Gold and Silver pawn shop. Chumlee himself busted those rumors this week with a tweet.
Off right now but we will be back filming soon https://t.co/Fx4tdtBePb
— Austin Russell (@chumlee_) May 10, 2016
Hollywood Life reports that originally Chumlee faced 19 charges of drug possession. He faced the possibility of one to four years for each charge. Generally, individuals convicted of felony charges are not able to work at pawn shops. The eventual reduction of his crimes to misdemeanor status means that he will eventually be able to return to work with the Harrisons.
After months of social media silence, Chumlee recently opened a new account on Instagram and has been quite active posting photos. Many of them seem to show Chumlee on vacation. Fans were happy to see him back on social media and to see lighthearted posts in the midst of his legal issues.
In coming weeks, fans will eagerly watch and listen for any news related to Chumlee’s return to Pawn Stars. Long loved by many viewers, Chumlee earned a following as a comic foil on the show. Despite his appearance as not being very knowledgeable at times, Chumlee is, in fact, an expert on the value of pinball machines, sneakers, and video games. In fact, he has quite a large (reportedly over 200 pairs) and very valuable collection of sneakers himself.
Chumlee has appeared on Pawn Stars since the beginning. He worked at Gold and Silver for five years before the History Channel show began. Chumlee has been friends with Corey Harrison since childhood. Corey’s father, Rick Harrison, and grandfather, Richard Harrison, opened the famous pawn shop in 1989. Corey and Chumlee spent many hours in the store throughout their lives. Rick Harrison has said that his relationship with Chumlee is like that of a father and son. He has also publicly stated that he will help Chumlee in whatever way he is able.
Pawn Stars airs on the History Channel on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
