Avs Goalie Semyon Varlamov Arrested On Domestic Violence Charges

Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov spent the night in jail after turning himself in to face charges of second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident on Tuesday.

According to the attorney of the accuser (she's identified as his girlfriend in some media accounts), after a party that ran into early Tuesday morning, Varlamov "threw her into the wall, she went to the floor, and he was stomping on her." The attorney added that the woman went to police because this wasn't the first time she had been abused.

Varlamov turned himself in around 6 p.m. last night after attending Avs practice, police say, and because of the nature of the charges is not allowed to post bail before appearing before a judge. He has a court date scheduled for later this morning.

In a translated interview with R-Sport, Varlamov's father says he's innocent of all charges. Varlamov is having a fantastic start to the season for the first-place Avalanche, and is a favorite for the starting goaltender gig on the Russian Olympic team. Already today a high-ranking Russian official raised the possibility of a conspiracy designed to "weaken our national team."