Chris Brown plea deal reached

Chris Brown plea deal reached

****UPDATE**** ANTHONY McCARTNEY LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Chris Brown's lawyer says a plea deal has been reached in the singer's felony assault case. The announcement was made moments before a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles was set to begin. Brown's alleged victim, Rihanna, had been on standby to testify on Monday. Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, says the deal includes five years of supervised probation and six months of community labor. Brown is pleading to felony assault. The judge expressed some concerns because Brown is not a California resident, but it appears Brown will be allowed to do his community service in his home state of Virginia. _Stephanie Stanton _ R&B singer Chris Brown and former girlfriend Rihanna are set to appear in an Los Angeles court today for a preliminary hearing in Brown's felony assault case. Rihanna has been subpoenaed by the Los Angeles District Attorney to testify and her lawyer says she will cooperate fully. Brown and Rihanna were the hip-hop couple that appeared to have it all until something went horribly wrong last February. Hours before Rihanna was scheduled to perform at the Grammy Awards Brown allegedly beat her during an argument over a text message he received from another woman. After the incident police photos of the battered and bruised Rihanna were leaked to the celebrity website TMZ. Brown was arrested and charged with two felony counts of assault and making criminal threats. He hired high-profile celebrity attorney Mark Geragos to represent him. Legal experts say Geragos could try to discredit Rihanna on the stand during the preliminary hearing. Since the alleged beating the couple has been spotted together, but questions remain about the true nature of their relationship. Geragos tried unsuccessfully to postpone today's hearing to get more information about the L.A.P.D. internal investigation into the leaked Rihanna photo, arguing that it could affect Brown's chances for a fair trial.