No Jail Time For Chris Brown

Surprise! Surprise!

June 22. 2009

In what surprisingly came as a shock to some, Chris Brown, in typical celebrity fashion, evaded jail time in the Rihanna assault case, sentenced to 180 days community service, 5 years probation and domestic violence counseling.

I didn't think the incident would amount to any real jail time, but I do think it would have been appropriate under the circumstances (for both of them). His lawyer, realizing the judge was unsympathetic to Brown (and Rihanna) cut a plea deal to avoid a trial.

Some stated the fact he is a first time offender worked in is favor. However, sometimes it does not. Take Madoff for example.

The judge also gave Rihanna a legal slap, enacting a restraining order and sternly instructing her to stay away from Chris Brown and not contact him.

Hmm, wonder if the judge read my article a month ago, about Chris and Rihanna playing the public and court for fools, willfully violating the restraining order to have sex with each other, in their on going relationship.

Well, the judge just put a cramp in that relationship. Let's see if Chris and Rihanna will obey the order this time or revert to their usual deceitfulness.

Chris Brown Pleads Guilty in Deal

June 22, 2009, 5:42 pm - Updated | 6:22 p.m. The R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles court on Monday to one count of felony assault on the pop star Rihanna, The Associated Press reported. Mark Geragos, a lawyer for Mr. Brown, said that under the terms of the plea deal, Mr. Brown would receive five years of supervised probation and six months of community labor. Mr. Brown would be allowed to complete his community service in his home state of Virginia but would have to return to California for updates every three months.

The judge also imposed a stay-away order, requiring that Mr. Brown and Rihanna stay at least 50 yards from each other, except at industry events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards. Rihanna was told that she would be held in violation of the order if she gets closer to Mr. Brown than its terms allow...

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com