Chris Brown trial set for Monday

Chris Brown

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge has set Monday as the start date for the assault trial of singer Chris Brown in the nation’s capital.

During a brief court appearance Friday in which he wore a suit and tie, Brown turned to wave and salute supporters in the courtroom including his mother and the rapper Bow Wow.

The case that begins Monday is significant for the Grammy winner not only because he faces up to six months in jail but also because if convicted he could face additional penalties, including jail time, as a result of an earlier case from California. At the time he was arrested in Washington, Brown was on probation in Los Angeles for an attack on his then-girlfriend, the singer Rihanna, in 2009.

Brown entered anger management rehab at a California facility shortly after his Washington arrest, but he was dismissed from it in mid-March for violating its rules. He was then jailed and has been in custody since.

Besides giving Brown a trial date Friday, DC Superior Court Judge Patricia Wynn had been expected to rule in the assault trial of Brown’s bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy. But Wynn delayed giving her verdict, saying she needed more time before ruling. That is expected Monday, followed by the start of Brown’s trial.

Both Brown and Hollosy are facing a misdemeanor assault charge in the same October skirmish in which a Maryland man accused them of punching him outside a Washington hotel.

Hollosy told police he punched 20-year-old Parker Adams after the man tried to get on Brown’s tour bus. Adams told police a different story. He said Brown and later Hollosy punched him after he tried to get in a photo the singer was taking and the men exchanged words. Brown has denied hitting Adams.

Hollosy did not testify at his own trial, which began Thursday and ended Friday, but he is expected to testify at Brown’s and say that he, not Brown, hit Adams.