Jesse Helt, the homeless man who accepted the Video of the Year Award at this year’s VMAs on Miley Cyrus’ behalf, is heading off to prison, Billboard reports. The 22-year-old aspiring model has been sentenced to six months in prison for violating the terms of his probation, which stemmed from criminal mischief charges he received in his native Oregon back in 2010.
Helt reportedly asked Judge Monte Campbell for leniency, and insisted that he’d “like to be viewed as a good person, not as a nuisance to society.”
Following Helt’s 2010 arrest on misdemeanor charges, he moved to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a model. However, this move was a violation of his probation, and prevented him from meeting with his probation officer and completing his required community service hours.
Helt was frequently homeless during his time in Los Angeles, and when Miley Cyrus met him at a homeless shelter, she brought him as her date to the 2014 Video Music Awards to raise awareness for homeless youth in America, and to raise money for My Friend’s Place, a Los Angeles homeless youth shelter. However, his appearance at the VMAs brought to light his past crimes and probation violation, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On Aug. 29, Helt turned himself in.
Speaking to ABC News, Helt’s mother said she was proud of her son for turning himself in. “I’m proud of him for doing what’s right,”she said. “I don’t condone running away from a problem.”
Miley Cyrus has yet to comment on Helt’s sentencing.
