Kings’ Slava Voynov detained by immigration officials, faces hearing

The Kings’ Slava Voynov doesn’t sound like he’s heading back to the ice anytime soon, despite getting out of out the Seal Beach Police Detention Center after his no contest plea on a misdemeanor domestic violence.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took him into custody Wednesday when he was released from a jail where he’d been serving his sentence. He’s now being held at an undisclosed location. Voynov is also suspended by the Kings for suffering a torn Achilles during a recreational activity.

In a statement released by his agent after accepting the plea bargain in July that knocked the charge down from a felony, Voynov accepted “responsibility for his actions the night of the incident” and is “fully committed to long-term counselling and therapy”.

The Kings declined to comment.

If Voynov is indeed deported by the immigration court, then he will obviously no longer be able to play in the National Hockey League. He could have served his time free at Los Angeles County jail, but spent $100 a day for the Seal Beach cell.

Voynov, 25, was arrested October 20, 2014, following a dispute with his wife, Marta Varlamova.

“He will remain in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge”. “He’s in a tough spot”.

The 25-year-old Voynov was arrested last October after he allegedly kicked and choked his wife and pushed her, resulting in a cut on her head that was treated at a hospital.

Daniel Todd, a San Diego lawyer who specializes in immigration matters, said an option open to Voynov is to voluntarily leave the USA immediately and reapply for a visa.

Per the LA Times, because of the violent nature of Voynov’s legal entanglement – which brought him to the attention of ICE in the first place – the agency didn’t set a bond. But there is no straightforward answer.