Semyon Varlamov charged with 3rd degree assault, has Dec. 2 court date
The Denver district attorney’s office has reviewed the arrest of Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov, and released the following on Friday:
Varlamov was arrested for an incident his girlfriend at the time, Evgeniya Vavrinyuk, alleges occurred on Oct. 31. He faced charges of second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault. The kidnapping charge, which would have been a felony, was dropped, but he’s been formally charged with third-degree assault charge, a misdemeanor.
KDVR reports: "Third-degree assault carries a possible two years in prison and is described as knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury to another person."
The Denver Post had details on the arrest on Oct. 31:
She told a detective that Varlamov kicked her in the chest and knocked her down, then stomped on her. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of her bedroom and held her face to the floor, the police affidavit says. He also grabbed her by her arms, shook her and pushed her down again, she told police.
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Vavrinyuk pointed to her chest, stomach, head, neck and arms — places where she said he had left bruises. In a police report, a detective had made note of bruises.
Varlamov has maintained his innocence, and has continued to play for the Avs as the legal process continues.
No word if Russian officials will see this formal charge as a further conspiracy to weaken their team in Sochi.
UPDATE: Here are the statements released by the NHL and the Avalanche:
NHL: "We are aware of the decision made by the Denver District Attorney's Office today to pursue misdemeanor assault charges against Avalanche Player Semyon Varlamov. While we will continue to monitor the situation, we do not expect to take any action or have any further comment pending the resolution of those charges."
...
"The Colorado Avalanche organization was informed about today's decision from the Denver District Attorney's Office and will have no further comment until the entire legal process has concluded."
