'Pawn Stars'' Chumlee to Plead Guilty to Drug Charges

According to a report on Deadline, Pawn Stars star Chumlee will plead guilty in Las Vegas to drug charges in a deal that will allow him to avoid jail time. The plea deal comes after Chumlee, whose real name is Austin Russell, was arrested in March on both the drug charge and a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.

The arrest came when Las Vegas police raided Russell's home during their investigation of a sexual assault case. At the time, police said that Russell was not being charged in the sexual assault case, and the most recent report makes no mention of that case.

The report says that Russell will plead guilty to a charge of attempting to possess a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, and will receive probation, rather than jail time, for that offense. If he successfully completes the period of probation, the gun charge will be dismissed. That's significant because the gun charge, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, is a felony.

At one time one of the most popular reality series on TV, Pawn Stars has seen its ratings fall off considerably in recent years.The thirteenth season of the series premiered July 27 on History, and Russell is still officially part of the cast. Now that his legal troubles seem to be headed for a resolution, expect to see him back on camera soon.