Miley Cyrus' MTV VMAs Homeless Date Jailed For Six Months
Jesse Helt violated the terms of his probation
A homeless man who accompanied Miley Cyrus to the MTV Video Music awards in August and accepted her prize has been jailed for six months.
Jesse Helt, 22, violated the terms of his probation after he was arrested in 2010 for breaking into an apartment in Oregon.
He was meant to have meetings with his probation officer, obey a curfew and complete 88 hours of community service.
Instead, he moved to Los Angeles where he looked for modelling work and became homeless for a time.
On Tuesday officers led Helt away in handcuffs shortly after he and his lawyer asked Judge Monte S Campbell for leniency.
"I'd like to be viewed as a good person, not as a nuisance to society," Helt said.
Cyrus met the young man during a visit to My Friend's Place, a shelter for homeless youths in LA.
She then invited him to the awards ceremony and let him accept her trophy for video of the year for Wrecking Ball.
Helt used the platform to highlight the issue of homelessness among young people.
But publicity from his appearance brought the probation violation to light. Days later, he returned to a rural community 60 miles southwest of Portland to surrender.
A defence lawyer, hired by Cyrus, unsuccessfully asked Judge Campbell to give Helt one more chance to meet the terms of his probation.
Whitney Boise said his client grew up in poverty and has never known stability and discipline.
He acknowledged that Helt made a big mistake in not following through on the terms of his probation, but noted that he did not run afoul of the law while in Los Angeles.
"In a few words, he wants to change his life," Mr Boise said. "He wants to make a difference."
Text: Sky News