Although Chris Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, has called BS on the Los Angeles District Attorney's allegations that Brown faked his community service, the latest update in the case could be seen as bad news for Brown. Bryan Norwood, Chief of Police in Richmond, Va., is now the ex-Chief of Police, as of Tuesday.
Norwood, who earlier signed off on Chris Brown's alleged community service has resigned.
Norwood was both intimately involved in certifying the community service hours that Chris Brown performed, and instrumental in removing Brown's case from the Richmond Probation Dept. and placing it in his department's purview. He also wrote a letter to the court vouching for Brown, claiming the singer had performed all of his required community service -- and more.
However, the Los Angeles District Attorney, in its earlier filing alleging that the hours were falsified, noted a past relationship between Norwood and Brown.
According to the Mayor of Richmond, Dwight Jones, his office and Norwood reached a "mutual agreement" resulting in the Chief's resignation. Jones added that Norwood will be replaced by former Assistant Chief of Police Ray J. Tarasovic, who is coming out of retirement to fill the position, effective Wednesday.
It's not clear that Norwood will be jobless for long. According to the report, Norwood has been eyeing a similar position in Raleigh, N.C., but the grapevine in Richmond, Va. says that the buzz around Chris Brown accelerated his decision.
The Los Angeles District Attorney has cited days in which Brown has claimed he performed community service, yet records show him either partying or performing in other parts of the world. As an example, Brown claimed he picked up trash in Richmond between 9 a.m and 5 p.m. on Dec. 12, 2011. However, Department of Homeland Security records showed he cleared customs at Dulles International Airport, 120 miles away, at 6:44 a.m. that day, after landing from Dubai, LA prosecutors said.
Deputy DA Mary Murray wrote, in the Los Angeles District Attorney's filing:
It would be unreasonable to believe that after a 12-13 hour flight, the defendant rushed through ... early morning rush traffic, traveled directly to Richmond in just over two hours, and then worked eight straight hours picking up trash.
Another example came on March 15, 2012, when Brown claimed he picked up trash in Richmond from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Homeland Security records appear to contradict Brown, who left for Cancun at 4 p.m. that same day, officials said.
The singer is due back in court on April 5. The DA wants the judge to throw out Brown’s Virginia hours and make him do all his remaining time in Los Angeles County.
Comments