By Anthony McCartney
Associated Press
Prosecutors have asked a judge to revoke Chris Brown’s probation, saying there is no credible evidence he completed his community service sentence for beating Rihanna, and citing several other incidents they say point to anger management issues.
The motion, filed Tuesday by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, focuses heavily on issues with Brown’s community labor in Virginia, citing numerous discrepancies and claiming the R&B singer was essentially unsupervised.
The prosecution’s motion also notes several incidents in which Brown has lost his temper, including throwing a chair through a window after a “Good Morning America” interview in which he was asked about his beating of Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammy Awards. The report also cites Brown’s Jan. 27 fight with R&B singer Frank Ocean, including Ocean’s claim that Brown threatened to shoot him in the brawl over a parking space.
The filing also alleges Brown violated his probation with several violent outbursts that haven’t resulted in arrests or charges. In addition to the fight between Brown and Ocean, the motion cites a 2012 incident in Miami in which Brown was accused of taking a woman’s cellphone.
Brown is due in court today for a probation hearing.
Brown’s attorney Mark Geragos blasted the filing, telling the Associated Press it was frivolous and defamatory and he planned to seek sanctions against prosecutors.
“The motion filed by the DA’s office is shameful and a disgrace,” Geragos said. “In essence, it calls everyone a liar in the Richmond Police Department and the Virginia Probation Department.”
He claimed prosecutors ignored interviews “where sworn peace officers stated unequivocally that Mr. Brown was supervised and did all of the community service.”
“I plan on asking for sanctions from the DA’s office for filing in frivolous, scurrilous and frankly defamatory motion,” he said. A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office declined to comment on Geragos’ statements.
Brown’s time serving community service in Virginia has been under scrutiny for months, and Tuesday’s motion asked a judge to order the singer to repeat his entire 180-day service sentence in Los Angeles. Brown had been given permission to perform cleanup and manual labor duties in Virginia, but LA prosecution investigators found no evidence that he completed his work as ordered.
Richmond, Va., Police Chief Bryan Norwood was supposed to be supervising Brown and submitted paperwork last year indicating the singer had completed his sentence. But prosecutors cite numerous shortcomings and possible misstatements in those records, which show the singer performing double shifts in the city and at a day care center where his mother once worked.
“This inquiry provided no credible, competent or verifiable evidence that defendant Brown performed his community labor as presented to this court,” Deputy District Attorney Mary Murray wrote.
The records submitted by Norwood are “at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting.”
Richmond police spokesman Gene Lepley declined to discuss the allegations.
“We believe it would inappropriate to comment on a matter that’s before the court,” Lepley said.
