LOS ANGELES - Chris Brown pleaded guilty Monday to
assaulting Rihanna and the two were ordered to stay away from each
other, in a deal that keeps the singer out of prison but requires
him to clean up graffiti or roadside trash.
Brown's plea to a felony charge will subject him to substantial
scrutiny by probation officials, and the judge's order puts the
kibosh on any short-term prospects for reconciliation with his pop
diva girlfriend as well.
The guilty plea came before a preliminary hearing was scheduled
to start. The hearing had been billed for weeks as a public
face-off between the pair, with Rihanna set to testify against her
one-time boyfriend.
Instead, Brown averted the potentially damaging meeting by
entering a plea that will subject him to probation for the next
five years as well as force him to perform six months of community
service.
Mark Geragos, Brown's lawyer, said the plea represented the
singer taking responsibility for his actions _ which included
beating, choking and biting Rihanna during a fight early Feb. 8,
according to police.
After Brown left the courtroom, Rihanna entered and was
addressed by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg, who
explained to the Barbados-born singer that she had issued a
stay-away order.
Rihanna had not been seeking such an order, but the judge
imposed one anyway. The order requires that Brown and Rihanna stay
at least 50 yards from each, except at industry events when the
distance is reduced to 10 yards.
The judge also told Rihanna it's not a one-way order _ and that
she, too, shouldn't get any closer to Brown than the order
allows.
"This is a kid who's never been in trouble before," Geragos said
after the hearing. "He embraces this as chance to get the message
out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. He wants to get
his life back on track."
Brown will be formally sentenced on Aug. 5.
Schnegg accepted Brown's plea, but expressed some concerns
because Brown is not a California resident. She said Brown likely
will be allowed to do his service in his home state of Virginia,
but she didn't want him to spend his time at churches or community
centers.
Instead, Schnegg ordered Brown to get his hands dirty by doing
work equivalent to what he would do in California _ clean up
grafitti or roadside trash.
She also said he'll have to return to California every three
months and attend domestic violence counseling.
Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district
attorney's office, said the terms were in line with what others
receive when they are charged with similar crimes and have no prior
criminal history.
Brown spoke softly throughout the hearing as he waived his
rights and told the judge he understood the gravity of his
plea.
"I think it's commendable you took responsibility for your
conduct," Schnegg told Brown.
She said she hoped "the terms and conditions of your probation
will have some meaning."
Rihanna spoke briefly, too, telling Schnegg she understood the
terms of the stay-away order and that after Brown's sentencing she
might ask for its terms to be loosened.
Rihanna, 21, recorded one of 2007's most popular songs with
"Umbrella" and has numerous other hits. Her looks have made her a
cover girl for magazines, as well as a pitchwoman for Cover Girl
cosmetics.
The deal provides an end to a case that sparked intense media
interest and severe backlash against Brown. Sponsors and radio
stations dropped him, and the singer had to cancel several
high-profile appearances, including a performance at the
Grammys.
The singer once known for his squeaky-clean image now has a
substantial blemish on his record. Brown, 20, rose to fame after
the 2005 hit "Run It!" He was nominated for a Grammy for "No Air"
with Jordin Sparks and named Billboard's top artist in 2008.
Intense media coverage led to Rihanna being identified as
Brown's victim mere hours after the attack. Within weeks, a photo
of the singer and model's bruised and battered face was posted on
celebrity gossip site TMZ.
The posting sparked an investigation by the Los Angeles Police
Department into whether one of its own officers leaked the photo to
the Web site. Brown's attorney unsuccessfully argued the leak hurt
Brown and that he should be granted access to LAPD's investigative
files.
Brown recently proclaimed in a video posted to YouTube that he
was "not a monster."
Even after Monday's hearing, lawyers for Brown and Rihanna
refused to discuss the status of the pair's relationship.
Brown was arrested hours after police say he hit and threatened
Rihanna after leaving a pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles. He was
later charged with felony assault likely to produce great bodily
harm and making criminal threats.
If convicted, the singer faced sentences ranging up to nearly
five years in prison.
After an inital retreat from the public eye, both musicians have
gradually appeared in public more frequently. Lately they have been
photographed separately, including at a National Basketball
Association finals game between the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles
Lakers.
But neither has been able to shake the stigma of the court case
and return to their usual jobs _ making music.
The logistics of Brown's sentence may make it difficult to get
back to his job.
"It amounts to a very sweaty house arrest," said Loyola
University Law School Professor Stan Goldman, who was in the
courtroom. "You have to have the discipline to show up several
times a week. How many times will this interfere with a record date
or an appearance?"
--AP