Federal authorities have said on Thursday that R&B singer Chris Brown, who is currently detained in a Los Angeles jail cell, was taken by US Marshals Service under their custody to transport the singer to Washington, DC for his hearing on a misdemeanor assault indictment. Brown was slapped with a lawsuit stemming from an incident in October last year when he allegedly punched a fan who was looking to get into a picture with the singer, Reuters said. The complainant reportedly broke his nose from Brown's assault.
Brown landed in jail in Los Angeles when he violated his probation and court-ordered treatment last month. The rehab is related to his 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, pop star and Grammy winner Rihanna. US Marshals Service spokeswoman Lynzey Donahue had said that Brown will be transported by federal marshals from California to Washington for the trial of his misdemeanor assault charge scheduled on April 17.
Mark Geragos, Brown's attorney, earlier asked the court to release his client before the misdemeanor trial into his custody so he and his client could travel together to Washington and prepare for the April 17 trial, Reuters said. USA Today added that Geragos has been trying to block Brown's transfer under the custody of the federal marshals. Although a court hearing to discuss the matter was scheduled for Thursday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin had cancelled it and decided to issue a written decision about Geragos' request instead.
Meanwhile, USA Today said Geragos had been seeking to dismiss the misdemeanor assault case filed against Brown, and that a hearing regarding his motion is set for Monday in Washington. Should Brown get convicted, the singer could face additional penalties, which would include extra time behind bars under the terms of a court order from the Rihanna case, USA Today said.
