MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
-
Entertainment
Photos
-
Beauty
style
-
Entertainment
Photos
Lindsay Lohan headed back to a Los Angeles court Wednesday morning to find out whether she could strike a plea deal in the case of the $2500 necklace she's accused of purloining from a Venice, Calif., boutique (she's facing a felony grand theft charge that carries a possible prison sentence of up to three years in prison) -- and things didn't exactly go the way the 24-year-old actress was hoping.
According to E! Online, Judge Keith Schwartz, the same judge who presided over Lindsay's Feb. 9 arraignment, told the actress on Wednesday that if she accepts any plea deal in his court she'll automatically get time in jail. The reason: A plea of "guilty" or even "no contest" is an admission by Lohan that she violated her probation, stemming from a 2007 DUI conviction.
"This case does involve jail time. Period," Judge Schwartz emphasized to Lindsay. "If you plead in front of me, if this case is resolved in front of me, you are going to jail. Period. There may be an issue as to the amount of time you go, of course... but if the case settles here, I don't want you under any apprehension. You will go to jail."
So, what kind of hard time would Lohan be looking at if she <i>does</i> accept a plea deal? Sources connected to the case tell TMZ that Deputy D.A. Danette Meyers made an offer to Lohan's lawyer Shawn Holley that calls for Lindsay to serve six months in jail.
Judge Schwartz stated in court that he did not think Lohan would accept the plea deal. Indeed, TMZ claims that minutes after leaving the courtroom, Lohan told a confidant that she adamantly refuses to accept any deal that will land her behind bars; instead, she intends to go to trial.
Judge Schwartz made it clear that, if the case settles in his court, he would impose additional psychological components to Lohan's probation, including therapy and a sponsor (which she already has) to keep her on the right track. If Lindsay offers a "no contest" or "guilty" plea and throws herself at the judge's mercy, she might even end up with fewer than six months in the slammer.
If, on the other hand, Lohan ultimately decides to settle the matter out of court, the case will be handed over to another judge, who will be tasked with evaluating the terms of Lindsay's probation.
Guess we'll know which way Lindsay decides to go when she heads back to court on March 10.
Do you think Lindsay Lohan should accept a plea deal that includes time in jail? Chime in below!
