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Photo Credit: NHL.com

Slava Voynov pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of corporal injury to a spouse on Thursday in a Redondo Beach courtroom, as the ongoing saga of the domestic violence allegations from last October continues.

In doing so, Voynov gave up his right to a trial and could face deportation charges (which is pretty unlikely).

As part of the deal, Voynov will face up to 90 days in jail, do a 52-week domestic violence course, eights hours of community service and pay fines of approximately $700. He will also be on probation for three years and if violated, could serve up to 364 days in jail.

It was noted somewhere on twitter that the district attorney or judge has taken the day of arrest into consideration as time served.

Per Rich Hammond, Voynov is eligible for a reduced sentence based on good behavior and may face only 45 days in jail. The judge ordered Voynov to surrender no later than July 14 to start his sentence, which can be served in a city or county jail.

According to Larry Altman, if Voynov chooses to serve time in a city jail, he would have to pay and may end up serving more time than he would in a county jail. If he chooses a county jail, he “must serve half his sentence before his release, but his ultimate service time would be up to the Sheriff’s Department because of overcrowding issues.”

Altman also noted that the misdemeanor conviction means Voynov will not automatically face deportation as he may have with a guilty verdict in a trial by his peers. However, federal officials ultimately would control his status in the US. Since a no contest plea is treated the same a guilty conviction, he could still face deportation as all state convictions can result in deportation. Decisions on visas and travel are up to the Department of Homeland Security, so there would have to be a separate federal investigation in order for Voynov’s visa to be revoked. Given that this is a misdemeanor and it is a first time offense, it seems unlikely that will happen.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Hammond that Voynov remains suspended.

“Nothing changes with regard to his status vis-a-vis the NHL. No timetables for next steps. I imagine we will hear from the player’s camp and the (players’ association) when they are ready to engage,” he wrote in an email.

Voynov and his wife, Marta Varlamova, declined to comment while leaving the courthouse, but his reps later released a statement.

“Voynov and his family are grateful that this matter is nearly at an end. Mr. Voynov accepts responsibility for his actions the night of the incident and will complete his sentence as required by the court. Mr. Voynov and his wife believe that ending domestic violence both inside and outside of professional sports must be a high priority. They fully support that goal and from the time of the incident Mr. Voynov has been and remains fully committed to long-term therapy and counseling, individually and with his family.”

The Kings also released a statement of their own.

“We believe the legal system has effectively resolved this matter and the punishment is fair and just. Any act of domestic violence is unacceptable. As an organization, the prevention of domestic violence and the education of our players and employees is of paramount importance. We will continue to actively develop and implement a strategy to deliver this message. We remain steadfast in our support of the National Hockey League as they now begin their own investigative process. Until that is complete we will withhold further comment.”

It’s important to remember that the organization’s statement was probably going to be pretty much the same no matter what occurred. With such circumstantial evidence and lack of a complaining witness, it would’ve been difficult for the DA to get a conviction.

Voynov also remains suspended indefinitely by the club due to a non-hockey related injury.

All eyes will be on the Kings in the coming days to see what they do with Voynov’s contract, especially in light of how they treated Mike Richards.

Richards was not arrested nor was he even accused of trying to cross the border with oxycontin. At the moment, he was merely alleged to have been stopped at a border crossing in Manitoba, but no further details have come to light.

On Sunday, June 29 the Kings put Richards on unconditional waivers. The following morning, they announced that they were terminating his contract, citing a “material breach.”

They’re already walking a fine line with morality and ethics, should they choose not to terminate Voynov’s contract, they will be look like the biggest hypocrites in the league. They seemed to have a difficult time attracting free agents this summer and should this play out like many suspect it will, it won’t get any easier.

For your consideration, if you want to rage donate or support a local domestic violence organization, it’s easy to do so and you’ll not only be supporting #hockeyfightsDV, but you’ll be helping out thousands of women and children who wind up shelters across the country (same concept applies in Canada) because they were displaced. Often these women show up in the middle with nothing but the clothes on their backs; many families have literally left everything they know behind in order to escape an abusive situation.

It’s easy to complain about how a wealthy athlete got a slap on the wrist and that his employers are basically endorsing it. But if you want to do something about it, there are ways to help.

 

 

Also, instead of focusing your anger on sentence/LAK, focus it on what needs to change with US judicial system & speak up to our government.

— Ashley Lynn (@AshonIce) July 2, 2015

 

Good, local DV orgs that could use donations: @Victory4Victims, @Friends_Helpers, @OPCCLA among others and then @ndvh, which is national

— *~*~*~*~* (@jollywhiskey) July 2, 2015

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