Singer Chris Brown admitted Friday to violating his probation by getting arrested in Washington — an admission his lawyer hopes will gain his freedom soon.
Brown, 25, wore an orange jail jumpsuit and handcuffs, but he appeared to be smiling as he was led into court in Los Angeles by deputies Friday afternoon.
The singer has been in custody for two months and in court-ordered rehab five months before that while awaiting a probation revocation trial. But with that trial on hold because of a delay in his D.C. assault case, Brown lawyer Mark Geragos decided it would be better to settle the case sooner and not later.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin immediately sentenced Brown to serve 365 days in jail for the admitted probation violation. He was given credit for serving 234 days because of the rehab and jail time, leaving 131 days left to serve.
But Brown’s lawyer told CNN that he expects Brown to be released from custody by the county sheriff within the next week.
“I would expect that Chris should be out of jail before the weekend’s up or before Monday,” Geragos said after the hearing. “If he isn’t out by Monday, then I would expect he’s getting special treatment. He’s got over 230 days credit on a 365 (day sentence) and generally the sheriff is releasing on a lot less than that.”
Brown’s probation for the 2009 beating of ex-girlfriend Rihanna was revoked after his arrest in connection to a misdemeanor assault charge out of Washington
Friday’s admission in Los Angeles that he violated his probation by committing a crime in Washington should lead to a quick resolution of the District of Columbia assault case, Geragos said.
Brown still must complete about 700 hours of community labor at a rate of three days a week once he is released from jail. Geragos, however, said Brown has “enjoyed” the work because it is “at a facility that has allowed to him to kind of expand his horizons.”
His probation office calculated that his probation, which began in August 2009, should end on January 23, 2015.
Until then, he must attend several anger management and family counseling sessions each week and submit to random drug tests the judge said.
Friday’s resolution is a relief for Brown after languishing in jail for the past two months, his lawyer said.
“We’re gratified that he was not sentenced to state prison, gratified that he’s still on probation,” Geragos said. “I think that Chris has learned quite a bit through this experience and I’m anxious to see how he does, as I think everybody else is.”
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