Chris Brown, as expected, was in LA court Monday afternoon to enter a plea of not guilty to the two felony charges that he has been charged with (felony assault and making a criminal threat) in the wake of the alleged assault of his girlfriend Rihanna in the early morning hours of February 8. It was reported that Brown‘s lawyer had been working furiously with the LA District Attorney to try and work out a plea bargain wherein Brown might admit guilt but serve no jailtime … clearly, that deal could not be worked out so the prosecutor’s office moved forward with Brown‘s arraignment Monday afternoon:

R&B star Chris Brown pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court on Monday to charges stemming from an alleged attack on his girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna. Brown, 19, entered the pleas during his arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court. Rihanna’s attorney, Donald Etra, told reporters after the hearing that Rihanna hoped a plea bargain could be struck but that she would testify against Brown if required. Brown and his attorney Mark Geragos did not speak to reporters. Judge Patricia Schnegg set an April 29 status hearing for Brown. Los Angeles prosecutors have said Brown attacked Rihanna, 21, during a roadside dispute in his rented Lamborghini last February. A photo of Rihanna’s bruised and battered face was leaked onto the Internet. Brown later issued a statement saying he was “sorry and saddened” about the incident, and was seeking counseling. The formal charges accuse Brown of assaulting Rihanna “by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury” and threatening to commit a crime “which would result in death and great bodily injury.” He could face up to four years in prison if convicted. A police affidavit said Brown shoved Rihanna’s head against the passenger window, repeatedly punched her in the face, bit her ear and finger, and put her into a headlock. At one stage, the affidavit said, Brown told Rihanna: “I’m going to kill you.”

I have to say, I am RELIEVED the the LA District Attorney’s office is diligently moving forward with this case and seems uninterested in working out a deal where Brown would get off without serving any jailtime. It seems clear that the prosecutor’s office feels confident in the evidence that they have in the case to move forward with the case. I worried that Brown‘s legal team might be able to work out a sweet deal for him but, judging by today’s outcome, that seems unlikely. It remains to be seen if Brown would eventually be willing to agree to jailtime in order to avoid a trial but, even then, the prosecutor’s office might choose to still move forward with the trial in order to secure the maximum punishment allowed by law. The fact that Chris Brown himself admitted some bit of guilt by releasing his “sorry and saddened” statement about a week after the alleged assault took place seems pretty clear to me that he is guilty of these crimes. Here’s hoping the LA District Attorney will work to ensure that he ends up paying for those crimes. Thus far, it looks like that’s the way things are shaping up.

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