Lohan leaves court with new offer from judge
LOS ANGELES, CA
Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz told the "Mean Girls" star
that he had told her attorney and a prosecutor how he would likely
sentence her if she agreed to plead guilty or no contest in the
case, but said he would keep the terms confidential.
The theft case is now bound for an April 22 preliminary hearing
before another judge who will decide if there is enough evidence
for Lohan to stand trial or to be sent to jail for violating
probation in another case.
If Lohan appeared again in his court, Schwartz said, he would
know she was accepting his offer.
During a hearing Thursday before Schwartz, the actress signaled
a desire to fight the charge involving a $2,500 necklace by
rejecting a prosecutor's plea deal that included a guaranteed jail
sentence.
Schwartz previously said he would sentence Lohan to jail if she
pleaded guilty but did not make a similar threat on Thursday.
Lohan, wearing a shiny brownish-gray dress, spoke only once
during the hearing, telling Schwartz she understood the schedule
for the hearings.
She has pleaded not guilty to stealing the necklace from Kamofie
& Co., a jewelry store near Lohan's home in the beach community of
Venice.
Lohan's return to court came days after surveillance footage was
aired of her trying on necklaces at the shop, which reported the
necklace stolen on Jan. 22.
The necklace was eventually given by a Lohan associate to police
who had already obtained a search warrant for the Venice home of
the actress.
"Entertainment Tonight" aired the footage, which showed Lohan
texting, pacing and talking to a store clerk for nearly 45 minutes.
The actress wore the necklace for roughly 25 minutes, according
to the show, and it was around her neck when the clerk escorted
Lohan out, smiled and held a door open.
The footage was obtained by a commercial images division of The
Associated Press and licensed exclusively to "Entertainment
Tonight."
A once-promising star of Disney films such as "Freaky Friday"
and "Herbie Fully Loaded," Lohan's career has been stalled since
she was arrested twice in 2007 and later charged with drunken
driving and drug possession.
In the past 10 months, Lohan has been jailed twice and sent to
rehab twice for probation violations.
A judge ordered her to undergo three months of treatment at the
Betty Ford Center, and it was within three weeks of her release
that she was accused of stealing the necklace.
Prosecutors in Riverside County are considering charging Lohan
for an altercation with a rehab worker in December.
If convicted of grand theft, Lohan could be sentenced to up to
three years in state prison. It's the first time she has been
charged with a felony.