Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty to hit-and-run charge

R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a hit-and-run charge in a case that could lead to jail time for the Grammy-winning performer, a Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman said. Brown had been on probation for assault, stemming from the 2009 beating of his then-girlfriend and fellow R&B star Rihanna, when he was involved in a Los Angeles traffic accident on May 21. He allegedly rear-ended another vehicle and fled the scene. Lesser charges of driving without a valid license and driving without proof of insurance were dismissed. Last week, a judge revoked Brown’s probation due to the traffic accident and will determine next month if the “Kiss Kiss” singer’s conduct violated the terms of his probation, which could lead to jail time. Brown, 24, was sentenced to five years probation, 180 days of community service and domestic violence counselling in connection with his much-publicized assault on Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammy Awards. The singer is due in court on August 15 for his next hearing on the hit-and-run case.