Jesse Helt, the homeless man who accepted the 2014 MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year on behalf of Miley Cyrus, has a warrant out for his arrest in Oregon.
In 2010, Helt, who was 18 years old at the time, was arrested on charges of criminal mischief, criminal trespass and burglary. Court records show that he broke into the apartment of a man who had been selling what he believed to be bad marijuana. Helt pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and criminal trespass, both misdemeanors, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and probation, the Associated Press reported.
Helt was arrested twice in 2011 for parole violations, according to the Polk County, Ore., sheriff's office. And another arrest warrant was issued in November 2011 for a new parole violation, county Community Corrections Director Martin Silbernagel told the Los Angeles Times. "He took off to California to sing, I guess, or model," Silbernagel added.
Helt's mother, Linda, told The Oregonian via phone from her home in Salem, Ore. that Cyrus has given his youngest child money, which he used to buy a plane ticket back to his native city.
Helt flew to Oregon Monday, Aug. 25, to see his mother for the first time in three years, MTV News reported.
After learning that Helt was coming back home, local authorities tried to find and arrest him but were unsuccessful, said Lee Warren, Helt's probation officer, according to Reuters.
"He will go to jail when he is found," said Silbernagel, adding that a judge will then decide whether to keep him probation or jail him for up to a year.
Cyrus took to Twitter Tuesday, Aug. 26, to defend and support Helt.
"People who are homeless have lived very hard lives. Jesse included," the 21-year-old "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker tweeted.
"I hope that this can be the start of a national conversation about youth homelessness and how to end it," she wrote in a following follow-up post.
"Does looking down upon the homeless help people excuse their inaction? The media never fails to disappoint. You've chosen to go after Jesse instead of covering the issue of youth homelessness. While they obsesses [sic] over one homeless mans legal issue lets help the other 1.6 million homeless youth," she added in a series of tweets.