The legal investigation into Chris Brown’s community service hours record has just suffered its first casualty. Bryan Norwood, the Richmond, VA., police chief who signed off on Brown’s hours — half of which the singer allegedly completed in his home state of VA., after completing 581 hours in Los Angeles county — has resigned.
Norwood was the key official who certified that Brown had completed the full 180 days (1,440 hours) of the community labor sentence he was given in 2009 for assaulting his then, and current, girlfriend Rihanna.
In a motion filed last Tuesday, prosecutors from LA County District Attorney’s office said Norwood’s official records for Brown’s community service hours were either “sloppily” or “fraudulently” documented.
Norwood — who has been Richmond’s police chief since 2008 — tendered his resignation today, TMZ reports .
Accepting it, Mayor Dwight Jones of Richmond Virginia, announced:
“As of today I’ve accepted the resignation of Bryan Norwood from his post as chief of police for the city of Richmond. He has offered leadership that has brought us a little bit further in our endeavors to improve public safety. In many ways the Richmond Police Department and the city is better off because of his dedication.”
He added :
“We’ve reached, however, a mutual agreement, at this time, that his time as Richmond police chief has come to an end. We certainly wish Chief Norwood much luck in his endeavors going forward.”
According to the New York Post , prosecutors are claiming that Richmond’s police department — which was headed by Norwood — signed off on Brown’s community service hours on days when he was in fact in another location.
It’s alleged that Brown claimed he picked up trash in Richmond between 9 am and 5 pm on December 12, 2011. But LA prosecutors say the Department of Homeland Security can provide evidence that Brown cleared customs at Dulles International Airport, some 120 miles away, at 6.44 am that day, after landing from Dubai.
Further location anomalies and mentions of Brown’s altercation with Frank Ocean and a 2011 chair throwing incident during a Good Morning America interview, are also referenced in the LA District Attorney Office’s motion.
Last week, Brown’s indignant lawyer Mark Geragos, made much of Rihanna’s appearance in court, and a letter that Norwood wrote to the court vouching for Brown community service hours.
Geragos also claimed he had statements from other Richmond police officers, firefighters, and photographs that proved Brown had fulfilled his community labor requirements.
After Brown appeared in court last week, with Rihanna in tow, Superior Court Judge James Brandlin said he needed more time to review all the evidence and scheduled a court date for April 5.
If Brandlin rules in favor of the LA District Attorney’s office, Brown may have to re-do his 180 day community service in LA. A worst case scenario could see the judge slapping the singer with a custodial sentence for breach of probation.