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Bobby Brown goes to jail

By Alan Duke, CNN
March 20, 2013 -- Updated 2016 GMT (0416 HKT)
Bobby Brown performs with New Edition on February 18, 2012 in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bobby Brown performs with New Edition on February 18, 2012 in Uncasville, Connecticut.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Although sentenced to 55 days in jail, Brown could be free in 8 or 9, a sheriff spokesman says
  • Good behavior rules and jail overcrowding guidelines mean a sharp reduction in time served
  • Brown was taken into custody at the Van Nuys, California, courthouse Wednesday
  • Brown has two DUI convictions in a year; lawyer says he's now committed to sobriety

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Deputies handcuffed singer Bobby Brown and led him from a courtroom to a jail cell Wednesday morning, as Whitney Houston's ex-husband began serving time for a drunken driving conviction.

Although the judge sentenced Brown to 55 days behind bars for his second conviction in a year for driving under the influence, he will likely be free in eight or nine days, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Actress Amanda Bynes was arrested again May 23 in New York after she allegedly tossed drug paraphernalia out the window of her Manhattan apartment. The actress previously had been booked for suspicion of driving under the influence in Hollywood, California, on April 6, 2012, after she got into a fender bender with a marked police car. She later tweeted President Barack Obama and asked him to fire the cop who made the arrest. The California arrest is the source of this mug shot.
Actress Amanda Bynes was arrested again May 23 in New York after she allegedly tossed drug paraphernalia out the window of her Manhattan apartment. The actress previously had been booked for suspicion of driving under the influence in Hollywood, California, on April 6, 2012, after she got into a fender bender with a marked police car. She later tweeted President Barack Obama and asked him to fire the cop who made the arrest. The California arrest is the source of this mug shot.
Amanda Bynes
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Photos: Celebrity mug shots Photos: Celebrity mug shots

Good behavior rules and jail overcrowding guidelines add up to a sharp reduction in actual time served for county inmates, Whitmore said.

Brown was taken into custody at the Van Nuys, California, courthouse at 9:10 a.m., Whitmore said.

Brown's sentence was stiffer because his driver's license was suspended after he pleaded no contest last summer to another charge of driving under the influence, Los Angeles city attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

Brown, 44, spent time in a "confidential rehabilitation center" last August as part of his plea deal for the April 2012 arrest.

Brown was not in court last month when his lawyer entered his guilty plea on charges of driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license and violating his probation for the earlier conviction.

A lawyer for the singer said he has accepted responsibility, and is committed to his sobriety.

"Brown is pleased that the matter has been resolved," attorney Christopher Brown said in a statement.

The judge imposed 10 days in jail for the drunken driving offense, 10 days for the suspended license conviction and 35 days for the probation violation, according to Mateljan.

His probation was extended to four years, Mateljan said.

A Los Angeles police officer smelled "a strong scent of alcohol" when he approached Brown during the Ventura Boulevard traffic stop last October, a police spokesman said.

Brown was arrested after a field sobriety test, the spokesman said.

Brown was previously married to Whitney Houston. They divorced in 2007. He has one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, from his relationship with Houston, as well as three other children. Houston died a little more than a year ago.

Brown, who has been touring with his R&B group, New Edition, released "Masterpiece," his first solo album in 14 years, last June.

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