Chumlee Arrest Update: Was The ‘Pawn Stars’ Actor Fired?

Since his arrest in early March, Chumlee of Pawn Stars has been silent about the charges against him. The Morning Ledger is reporting that not only have we not heard anything from Chumlee, he also has not been seen in the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, the store that is at the center of the History Channel show. It has left fans of Chumlee and the show wondering if he was fired from his position there.

Collecting sneakers is one of Chumlee’s hobbies, and just a couple of days before his arrest, Chumlee posted to Twitter that he would be looking to get rid of much of his shoe collection on eBay in the near future.

https://t.co/KauAJL73vj my shoes collection will be for sale on eBay for the next few months time to get ride of a lot

— Austin Russell (@chumlee_) March 7, 2016

He also updated his Facebook cover early in the morning on March 9, the day he was arrested.

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Since then Chumlee, whose real name is Austin Russell, has been silent on social media. He also started a DJ business not long before his arrest, but after his arrest, Chumlee canceled scheduled DJ gigs and has not scheduled any more.

TMZ broke the story of Chumlee’s arrest and reported that police initially went to his Las Vegas home to serve a search warrant in association with sexual assault charges filed by an employee of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. While in Chumlee’s home, police found much more than they had expected to find.

The Inquisitr previously reported on the abundance of evidence recovered during their search. Included in the lengthy list of items listed on the police report were weapons, drugs, and drug paraphernalia that got Chumlee into even deeper trouble, landing him with 20 felony charges.

Police made this comment in the report they filed following their search of Chumlee’s home.

“It should also be noted that the amount of narcotics, narcotics paraphernalia and narcotics-related items found throughout the residence suggests (Russell) openly allows and participates in the unlawful use and possession of narcotics. Many of these items are commonly found with persons who package and sell controlled substances, i.e., plastic baggies and digital scales.”

Chumlee was arrested following the search of his home but was released about a day later on a $62,000 bond.

His attorneys issued a statement on behalf of Chumlee that indicated they “will be analyzing what was allegedly found and whether the alleged seizure was lawful in a courtroom, not in the media. Austin has great faith in the judicial system, as do we, and looks forward to a just resolution of this matter.”

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Fellow Pawn Stars actors have stayed mostly quiet about Chumlee’s legal troubles, but a couple of them have spoken out. The owner of the store, Rick Harrison, said that Chumlee is like a son to him. He has known him since he was a child and says he will do whatever he can to support him.

This comment doesn’t really answer the question as to whether Chumlee has been fired from his job at Harrison’s pawn shop, but on the surface, it would seem that if Harrison wants to help Chumlee, he would keep him on as an employee of the pawn shop. It’s possible he told Chumlee to stay out of the shop and away from the cameras and the public until the case is settled but that he would keep him on the payroll. Chumlee is going to have a lot of legal expenses in the next few months and needs all the income he can get at this point.

Chumlee is scheduled to appear in court on May 23.

Pawn Stars has been on the air since 2009. Chumlee worked at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop for five years before the show went on the air. Fans of the show enjoy Chumlee’s humor, but he is also an expert on the value of pinball machines, video games, and sneakers.

[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]