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 Brown, 24, was arrested last Friday when he was dismissed
from a Malibu, California, rehabilitation facility, triggering a
violation of the singer's court-ordered treatment related to his
2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, the singer Rihanna.
The singer's probation violation hearing is scheduled for April
23 and is complicated by a misdemeanor assault case he faces in
Washington, D.C. on April 17.
Brown was dismissed from the rehab center for violating four
in-house rules, including inappropriately touching a female
client on the elbow, initially refusing a drug test and making a
provocative statement, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge
James Brandlin said.
Brown told a group session at the rehab center that "I am good
at using guns and knives," the judge said, reading from a report
filed by the center, saying this was troubling.
"I have concerns about his inability to stay out of trouble,"
Brandlin said before ordering Brown held without bail, departing
from a pattern of giving Brown the benefit of the doubt as long
as he remained in rehab.
Brown, dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit after spending the
weekend at Los Angeles County's aging Men's Central Jail, was
led out of the courtroom in handcuffs as his mother Joyce
Hawkins sobbed.
"None of these things rises to the level, in my humble opinion,
to be remanded into custody," argued Brown's attorney, Mark
Geragos, whose request to have the singer change into a gray
suit he had brought for him was denied.
"He has the current prospect of sitting on ice for six weeks,
which is longer than the standard probation violation," Geragos
added.
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 DUET DELAYED
The attorney had argued that extraditing Brown to Washington for his
trial would been a long and costly process. He warned that the
Washington case could be delayed if Brown was not able to attend.
Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Mary Murray opposed Brown's
release. Her department has repeatedly asked the court to jail Brown
for alleged violations of probation, including cutting corners on
community service.
Brown's jailing is another mark on a growing rap sheet for the
singer, who has so far been able to maintain wide popularity for his
music despite a poor image that has included his beating of Rihanna
on the eve of the 2009 Grammys and several altercations.The release
of the singer's upcoming duet, "Don't Be Gone Too Long," with
20-year-old Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande has also been delayed in
the wake of Brown's jailing, Grande said on Twitter on Monday.
Brandlin had initially sentenced Brown to 90 days in the treatment
program in November following his assault arrest in Washington where
he allegedly punched and broke the nose of a man who was trying to
get a picture with him.
The "Turn Up the Music" singer was ordered last month to stay in the
treatment program until his April 17 trial in Washington.
In 2009, Brown was sentenced to five years probation, community
labor and domestic violence counseling after assaulting Rihanna in
Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; writing by Piya Sinha-Roy;
editing by
Mary Milliken and James Dalgleish)
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