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| AP – Lindsay Lohan, left, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court with her attorney Shawn Chapman Holley, where … |
Judge tells Lindsay Lohan plea deal will mean jail
LOS ANGELES – A judge told Lindsay Lohan on Wednesday he would sentence her to jail if she accepted a plea deal from prosecutors to avoid trial for allegedly stealing a $2,500 necklace from an upscale jewelry store.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz tersely told the troubled starlet what she could expect if she pleaded guilty or no contest in the felony case.
"If you plead in front of me, if this case is resolved in front of me, you are going to jail," Schwartz said. "Period."
But if she rejects the deal, and a judge determines there's enough evidence to order her to stand trial, she could be punished because she was still on probation for a 2007 drunken driving case when the necklace was stolen.
That could mean Lohan — who has pleaded not guilty — is sentenced to jail before the theft case is even tried.
The "Mean Gilrs" star wore high-waisted white pants and a low-cut black top, and sat reading papers while prosecutors offered her attorney, Shawn Holley, the terms of the plea deal in a closed chambers meeting with Schwartz. Prosecutors declined to say what they offered, but Schwartz said he didn't think Lohan would accept it.
Lohan told the judge she understood his comments, and left the courtroom clutching her mother's hand. She and her attorney didn't speak to reporters, but her father, Michael Lohan, told those gathered outside the courthouse that the case is being over-prosecuted.
"I don't see Lindsay as a criminal," he said. "This is all a result of her addiction."
The necklace case has become the latest trouble for Lohan, who was sent to jail twice and rehab twice last year for violating her probation in the drunken driving case.
The troubled starlet seems to keep running into trouble — she was cited for speeding around 9 p.m. Monday in West Hollywood, reportedly driving 59 mph in a 35 mph zone, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
The judge told Lohan that he was treating her as he would any other defendant, and that he wanted her to get the case resolved.
"I want you to get on with your life," Schwartz said.
Schwartz also said that he thought Lohan should receive psychological counseling as a condition of her probation if it is re-instated.
Prosecutors turned over the rest of their potential evidence to Lohan's attorney, including surveillance footage and police reports.
Lohan has about two weeks to decide what to do — she is due back in court on March 10. Schwartz said if she does not accept a plea deal, the case will go to a preliminary hearing during which prosecutors will lay out their evidence.
Lohan spent three months in rehab at the Betty Ford Center and was accused by a rehab worker there of misdemeanor battery during a December argument. Prosecutors in Riverside County have not yet decided whether to pursue charges.
About three weeks after her release, Lohan was accused of taking the necklace from Kamofie & Co., a jewelry store near Lohan's new home in Venice. The necklace was turned over to detectives before they could serve a warrant to search Lohan's home.
The 24-year-old actress's career has been stalled for months; she lost her part in a biopic of porn star Linda Lovelace while she was in rehab at Betty Ford.
