Jesse Helt, who was put into the spotlight after accepting Miley Cyrus' MTV Video Music Award, received a six-month jail sentence Tuesday for violating probation, NBC News reports.
The 22-year-old and his lawyer had asked the judge for leniency. Attorney Whitney Boise even pleaded in court saying her client would "like to be viewed as a good person, not as a nuisance to society."
Judge Monte Campbell, however, cited continuing probation violations as the reason to revoke his probation and send him to jail.
Helt was originally arrested in 2010 on misdemeanor charges. The next year, he failed to meet with his assigned probation officer or complete his required community service.
The young adult first made news when he attended the annual award show with Cyrus back in August.
After the singer won Video of the Year for "Wrecking Ball," Cyrus asked Helt to accept the award on her behalf.
In an emotional speech, Helt shared his personal story of being homeless in the United States and encouraged fans to get involved with the wide-spread issue.
"My name is Jesse, and I'm accepting this award on behalf of 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth who are starving lost and scared right now," he shared with the crowd. "I know this because I am one of these people. I have survived in shelters all over this city...Though I may have been invisible to you on the streets I have a lot of the same dreams that brought many of you here tonight."
Shortly after the show, Cyrus shared her support for Helt and all those who can relate to his situation.
"People who are homeless have lived very hard lives, Jesse included," she wrote on Twitter. "I hope that this can be the start of a national conversation about youth homelessness and how to end it."
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