Chumlee Update: ‘Pawn Stars’ Rick Harrison Responds To Employee’s Shocking Arrest
Chumlee of Pawn Stars fame has been arrested in Las Vegas and faces very serious felony charges. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Chumlee (real name Austin L. Russell) was taken into custody by police who had been searching his home in connection with a sexual assault case in which Chumlee was the primary suspect.
While investigating at the property, police reportedly found drugs (marijuana and methamphetamine) and at least one illegally owned gun. Although he has not been charged with sexual assault, it sounds as though Chumlee has a long road ahead of him. It is possible that these charges could leave him behind bars.
‘Chumlee’ from ‘Pawn Stars’ arrested on weapon, drug charges https://t.co/1q0XL1Owc6 pic.twitter.com/Hi9AbzFemk
— CNN (@CNN) March 10, 2016
Chumlee, 33, is facing 19 counts of drug and weapons-related charges. He was locked up in a jail in Clark County, Nevada, on Wednesday afternoon, where he spent the night. According to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, Chumlee has been released on bond (his bail was set at $62,000) and will be heading to court on Friday morning.
According to Fox411, Pawn Stars’ Rick Harrison has spoken out about Chumlee’s arrest.
“We don’t have details yet, but we are here to help Chumlee any way we can,” he said.
#PawnStars‘ Rick Harrison reacts to Chumlee’s arrest: https://t.co/SbJIThoVsp pic.twitter.com/DgYvpuTPta
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) March 10, 2016
Many have been waiting to hear if The History Channel would release a statement of any kind, but so far, they have not. A rep for the network said that they would not be commenting on the situation at this time. It is unclear if The History Channel is planning on taking any action when it comes to Chumlee’s future on the show. If he is found guilty on any of these charges and/or if he is indicted on sexual assault charges, his likelihood of him staying on Pawn Stars diminishes greatly.
Chumlee has been a part of Pawn Stars since 2009, when it first aired. He has been one of the top appraisers at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas and is very well liked on the popular reality show, which has been on the air for 12 seasons. It is also possible that Chumlee will be fired from the pawn shop if he is found guilty on any or all of the charges brought against him.
Rick Harrison does seem open-minded right now, and it sounds like he just wants to offer support to his friend, who is obviously in a great deal of trouble. There may not be much that Harrison can do for Chumlee, but offering support is a kind gesture.
It is unknown if Chumlee has obtained a lawyer.
As far as the sexual assault case goes, there are very few details available. News outlets have reported that a woman filed the report against Chumlee, but her name or relation to him (if any) has not been released at this time.
“Police raided the reality star’s home on Wednesday after serving a search warrant in a sexual-assault complaint recently filed by an unidentified woman. While Chumlee wasn’t charged for sexual assault on Wednesday night, the investigation regarding the incident is still open,” reports Us Weekly.
More details on Chumlee’s arrest and what will become of his future on reality television are expected in the coming days.
[Photo by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via Getty Images]
