Judge: Amanda Bynes Not a Risk to Public Safety

Actress did not "technically" violate judge's order not to drive with a valid driver's license, so bail needn't be set before her Oct. 29 court date.

Amanda Bynes has been under a lot of public scrutiny lately, but is she actually dangerous to the public?

Los Angeles Judge Elden Fox doesn't think so.

While the district attorney argued Wednesday that Bynes should be ordered to put up $50,000 bail as a condition of remaining free pending her Oct. 29 trial, the judge chose not to impose the requested bail, stating "Technically, Ms. Bynes is not in violation of order not to drive without a valid driver's license." (The actress's last hit-and-run charge occurred on Aug. 4 when her license was still valid.)

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Bynes was supposed to have a court hearing on Friday, but her attorney Richard Hutton advanced it to Wednesday in an attempt to avoid a media circus.

And while the DA said bail was needed "for the risk of public safety," Fox cited the fact that both incidents occurred prior to Bynes' license being suspended. He noted that he would not be as amenable if the "She's the Man" star received another incident prior to her Oct. 29 trial date. (He indicated he would think about imposing a higher bail amount if that happened.)

Although last week Judge Marsha Revel suggested that Bynes appear in court at Wednesday's hearing, the 26-year-old actress was not in attendance.

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Sadly, though, driving drama is nothing new for the embattled star.

On June 5, she was officially charged with driving under the influence due to an arrest in April in which she allegedly ran into a police cruiser with her BMW. She also refused to submit to a chemical test at the time of her arrest; the following day, her attorney entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.

On Sept. 5, the former Nickelodeon star was charged with two counts of misdemeanor hit and run for accidents that occurred April 1 and Aug. 4. Bynes has an arraignment on those charges on Sept. 27 in Van Nuys, Calif. The charges carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for each count. The sentence can run consecutively, i.e. one year and/or a $2,000 fine.

While a recent report claimed Bynes' parents recently moved from Texas to L.A. to "take care" of their daughter, a source tells E! News this is not the case. Bynes' mom and dad have lived in California for "a long time" and serve as her money managers.

We're glad mom and dad are nearby in the weeks leading up to Bynes' next court date. We wish her the best.

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