Singer Chris Brown has managed to
intrigue -- and infuriate -- the public since he first burst onto the
scene in 2005. Here's a look at his life and career.
Brown, who has been on
probation since pleading guilty to assaulting girlfriend Rihanna five
years ago, is becoming more violent, with his outbursts "increasing in
severity and intensity," Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney
Mary Murray argued Monday.
The singer has been in a
rehab program for anger issues and drug abuse since November when the
judge ordered him to go there instead of jail for an earlier probation
violation.
But the prosecutor asked Monday that he been locked up in jail because of his arrest in Washington on an assault charge.
Although Los Angeles
County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin ruled Brown was again in
violation of probation, he cited a new report from his probation officer
that concluded Brown "is doing well in the program and making great
strides" in rehab.
October: In anger management rehab
Chris Brown getting special treatment?
For now, Brown can stay in rehab, the judge ruled. "It appears your doing well in the program," he told Brown.
"There's no reason to put
him into custody at this point," Brown attorney Mark Geragos said after
the hearing. "We're happy that the judge agreed with us."
Brown is expected to
complete the rehab program on February 19, but he has to travel to
Washington for a hearing on the assault charge on February 20. That case
could still send Brown to jail in Los Angeles if he is found guilty.
The probation imposed
when he pleaded guilty to a felony charge in the 2009 attack on Rihanna
requires that he stay out of legal trouble. The judge will hold another
hearing on February 28 to decide his fate after rehab.
The latest probation
report praises Brown's new improved attitude in complying with probation
rules. "He appears to have a more serious and responsible demeanor and
is responding well to dual diagnosis treatment program and changes in
medication," his probation officer wrote.
Brown is working on a
community labor crew three days a week until he completes 1,000 of work
ordered by the judge in November. He's finished 109 hours and still has
809 hours left before his probation can be completed, the probation
officer said. At that pace, Brown has another 101 days of work left.
The glowing report is a
stark contrast to what the probation officer wrote in November after
Brown was booted from another rehab facility after smashing his mother's
car window during a family session.
"There is much concern
with the probationer's new arrest and his violent outburst that resulted
in his discharge from a treatment facility," that probation report
said.
Brown and his bodyguard,
Christopher Hollosy, face assault charges stemming an incident outside
the a hotel near the White House in October. The federal prosecutor
handling the case offered to let them each plead guilty to one count of
simple assault, but they rejected the offers at court last month.
