Former Blue Jacket finds himself in some legal troubles
It's being reported by the Novgorod Gazette that former Blue Jacket winger Artemi Panarin was fined and had a gun belonging to him confiscated for shooting it illegally. This happened on July 6th.
According to the report, "the defendant committed a gross violation of public safety, threatening the life and health of citizens. However, taking into account the circumstances mitigating administrative responsibility (Artemiy Panarin pleaded guilty and committed such an offense for the first time), the Borovichi District Court found him guilty of committing an accident and imposed an administrative penalty on him in the form of a fine of 40 thousand rubles with confiscation of the gun". Panarin could still appeal according to the report.
This isn't Panarin's first legal issue. Back in 2021, he was accused of hitting an 18-year-old woman in Latvia a decade earlier. Panarin denied the accusations and some think this was a politically motivated attack on Panarin due to him being outspoken against recent events in Russian politics. He took a leave of absence from the team after the accusations came out.
Panarin played two seasons with Columbus, playing in 160 games and scoring 169 points.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.