Judge denies request to dismiss Chris Brown's assault case

WASHINGTON, April 8 (UPI) -- A Washington D.C. judge chose to deny a request to dismiss Chris Brown's assault case on Monday.

The Brown team was not granted a dismissal, but the judge did rule that the singer and his bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, can have separate trials. Brown and Hollosy each face one count of misdemeanor assault from their altercation with a fan in October. The two are accused of assaulting the fan outside the W Hotel in Washington.

The 24-year-old star flew in to D.C. Monday evening on a "Con Air" flight escorted by U.S. marshals. He will be held in a Washington-area jail until his trial on April 21. Hollosy's trial will take place on April 17.

The Brown defense attorneys asked for separate trials because they want Hollosy to be able to testify on the singer's behalf. It is still unclear if Brown or Hollosy, or both, took part in the assault.

The singer and his bodyguard face a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. Brown, however, will face as much as four additional years in jail in California if he is found guilty. An assault conviction would violate the singer's terms of probation from his previous attack on ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

[CNN] [Washington Post]