Slava Voynov charged with felony for 'corporal injury to spouse with great bodily injury'
Suspended Kings defenseman Slava Voynov has officially been charged with domestic violence stemming from an Oct. 19 incident that allegedly involved him and his wife.
According to the Orange County Regsiter, Voynov has been "charged with one felony count of 'corporal injury to spouse with great bodily injury,' the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced Thursday."
Also in the Register's report, from the Los Angeles Distrct Attorney:
"'During an argument at their Redondo Beach home on Oct. 19, Voynov caused his wife to suffer injuries to her eyebrow, cheek and neck, prosecutors said. The injuries were serious and required medical attention at a local hospital where the defendant was arrested, prosecutors added.'"
Per the report, if convicted, Voynov could spend up to nine years in prison. The native of Russia could also face deportation issues.
Voynov has yet to speak on the matter, but his lawyer talked to The Los Angeles Times, and maintained that his client's name would be cleared.
"Mr. Voynov is extremely disappointed that the district attorney's office elected to file charges," said Craig Renetzky, Voynov's attorney. "Mr. Voynov maintains his innocence and looks forward to clearing his name in court. We remain confident."
As for Voynov's indefinite suspension by the NHL, league deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that they will look closer at the findings, before making any further decisions.
The Kings, who have desperately been seeking cap relief from Voynov's contract, which carries a $4.167 million salary cap hit, said they agreed with the NHL's course of action ... which still remains unclear at this moment.
"We maintain our support of the NHL’s indefinite suspension of Slava Voynov. As an organization we will continue to closely monitor the developments of the legal proceedings and work in partnership with the NHL to determine the proper course of action in the future."
Because of the Voynov situation, the Kings have been pressed up against the cap, which has led to general manager Dean Lombardi to make some critical comments about the NHL and the specifics of its suspension (with pay, BTW) of Voynov.
The Register's story also states that Voynov has been practicing with Kings assistant coach John Stevens at the team's El Segundo practice facility.
How much does today's news change Voynov's situation? Will Los Angeles just try to figure a way to cut ties with the blueliner in light of these charges? Will the NHL finally figure out how to reconcile this situation between Voynov and the Kings?
Lots of questions need answers...
UPDATE: The lawyer for Marta Varlamova, Voynov's wife, has released the following statement on her behalf:
Marta was stunned by the news today and she is devastated. She did not believe, and does not believe, that her husband intended to injure her and she believes that he is not guilty of any crime. She is worried about her family's privacy and concerned that she and her family are going to be subjected to ridicule, embarrassment and hatred because of this decision. In fact, she has already seen that beginning to happen. It is unfortunate that no one seemed to care what she wants, and that the authorities gave little or no weight to her view of the facts of the case. Despite this unwelcome news, she still expects her husband to be cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
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