Chris Brown California probation review hearing delayed one week

 Posted on September 19, 2012 in Criminal Defense

Chris Brown was scheduled to appear in a California court for a probation review. The singer was convicted of felony assault in 2009. Prosecutors had accused the musician of a domestic assault involving Rihanna, which continues to receive a great deal of public attention due to the celebrity status of the two singers.

Brown received probation for five years on the felony assault conviction. More than a year ago, Brown appeared for a probation review hearing and the judge modified a restraining order that had been in place in the case. The judge changed the five-year protective order from prohibiting him from being within 50 yards of Rihanna to allowing some contact, so long as Brown does not annoy or harass Rihanna. Brown's criminal defense attorney had asked the court to loosen the restrictions on the protective order.

But the protective order does not appear to be an issue that prosecutors are now seeking to have reviewed under Brown's terms of probation. Brown has reportedly received praise from the judge in previous court appearances for his progress in completing the terms of his probation, although a judge denied a defense request in February 2011 to change Brown's probation from supervised to unsupervised.

This summer, a prosecutor raised questions about Brown's community service. A deputy district attorney sought to have Brown's hours of community service audited. The prosecutor says that it is unclear where and when hours have been performed, and the prosecutor also wanted more details about what community service work Brown has performed.

A review hearing was scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles. However, prosecutors asked to have that hearing delayed one week to allow for more time to prepare a probation report.

Sources:

• Los Angeles Times, "Chris Brown probation hearing delayed; service hours at issue," By Christie D'Zurilla, Sep. 17, 2012
• CBS News, "Chris Brown's probation court appearance delayed," Sep. 17, 2012