Community Corner

Some Charges Dropped Against Chris Brown in Toluca Lake Accident

By Fred Shuster

City News Service

A misdemeanor count of driving without a valid license was dropped today in a Van Nuys courtroom against R&B singer Chris Brown, along with an infraction for allegedly failing to have proof of insurance, but he remains charged with a misdemeanor count of hit-and-run stemming from an accident near Toluca Lake.

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Brown, 24, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with the May 21 crash. His attorney, Mark Geragos, said he hoped to have the hit-and-run charge resolved before the singer's next court hearing, which was set for Aug. 15 by Van Nuys Superior Court Commissioner Rebecca Omens.

Omens said Brown must personally appear at the hearing on the misdemeanor count. The singer also must be formally booked on the misdemeanor charge by police, and Geragos was ordered to provide the court with proof of the booking by Aug. 6.

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The charges stemmed from a crash in which Brown allegedly rear-ended a Mercedes with his Range Rover near Toluca Lake.

Brown has used his Twitter page to insist he did nothing wrong on the day of the crash.

"I did everything I was suppose to do during the so-called hit n run," Brown posted on Twitter last week. "I provided the correct info. There were no injuries or damages. C'mon!!"

On the day the misdemeanor charges were filed, Brown wrote, "It's not a hit and run if u get out (of) the car, exchange information."

"I have a valid drivers license and I gave the woman the right info," he wrote. "She saw cameras and wanted to make a scene. She contacted the cops thinking of a payday from Chris Brown when I followed the proper procedures," he wrote.

The celebrity website TMZ.com reported last week that Brown had reached a financial settlement with the other driver -- identified as Olga Gure- Kovalenko.

As a result of the charges filed against Brown in connection with the crash, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge last week revoked the singer's probation stemming from his assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna.

Brown pleaded guilty in June 2009 to assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, admitting that he assaulted Rihanna during an argument that began around 12:30 a.m. Feb. 8, 2009, while they were in a rented Lamborghini in Hancock Park after attending a pre-Grammy Awards party.

Brown was sentenced to five years probation, a yearlong domestic violence program, which he completed, and 180 days of community labor. Prosecutors, however, filed papers earlier this year questioning whether Brown had completed his community labor hours, citing "significant discrepancies" in reports about Brown's work in his native Virginia. The discrepancies indicate "at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting," according to the court papers.

Geragos has denied the allegations.

After revoking Brown's probation last week, Judge James Brandlin scheduled another hearing for Aug. 16. If an agreement is not reached between the prosecution and the defense, a hearing will be scheduled to determine of Brown actually violated his probation by being charged in connection with the May car crash.


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