Chris Brown turns down plea deal in D.C. assault case

On Wednesday (Jan. 8), Chris Brown turned down a plea deal in his D.C. assault case.

Brown and his bodyguard Christopher Hollosy were both charged with one count of misdemeanor simple assault. The charges came after an altercation that took place outside the W hotel in downtown Washington back in October.

Brown and Hollosy came to the D.C. Superior Court for a brief hearing in which Danny Onorato, one of Brown's attorneys rejected a plea deal.

According to the Washington Post, Hollosy's attorney, Bernie Grimm, said the plea deal was the same as the original charge.

Brown and Hollosy both face a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

It has become tradition for defendants to avoid the possibility of facing additional charges while investigators continue to look into the case when prosecutors offer a plea deal that is the same as the initial charges.

Prosecutors say they are still gathering evidence including a security video from the night of the alleged incident. Accounts of how the altercation started have varied.

Another hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20 but Brown may not be in attendance. Onorato says he plans to request that Brown's appearance be waved at that hearing. According to his attorney, Brown will still be in a 90-day residential program in his home state of California as a result of his 2009 conviction related to the assault case involving his former girlfriend, Rihanna.

Brown and Hollosy both declined to comment after the hearing.