Lindsay Lohan Dodges Trial, Pleads No Contest in Necklace Case

By PopEater Staff Posted May 11th 2011 02:15PM

Reversing course to avert a trial, Lindsay Lohan's lawyer entered a no contest plea in the star's grand theft case on Wednesday, a move that may impact her jail sentence and put the star back on course to revitalizing her once-stratospheric career.

Lohan was not required to appear at this hearing in Los Angeles because her charge -- swiping a necklace from a store -- was reduced last month from a felony to a misdemeanor. Judge Stephanie Sautner accepted the plea to a misdemeanor grand theft entered by Lohan's attorney Shawn Holley. Sautner said Lohan will remain on probation until November and must undergo counseling.

A no contest plea does not acknowledge guilt but does stand as a conviction for the actress.

This does not impact the 120-day jail sentence that Sautner laid down on April 22 when she determined Lohan did violate her 2007 probation from a DUI arrest. She spent only a few hours inside after her lawyer Holley filed a notice of appeal the four-month jail sentence for her probation violation. No further action on the appeal was ever taken.

She will likely serve a fraction of the sentence due to jail overcrowding and may even be placed on house arrest.

At the April court date, Judge Sautner decided not to dismiss the case altogether but said "I'm going to give her an opportunity" to prove her innocence in a trial.

The actress turned down a pair of plea bargain offers in the necklace theft case recently.

The 'Mean Girls' star is looking to get back to work on her comeback and was recently cast to play the wife of John Gotti Jr. in 'Gotti: Three Generations,' a biopic of the crime family. The film is scheduled to begin production later this year in New York.

Sofia Kaman, the owner of Kamofie & Co., testified in court that Lohan stole a $2,500 necklace from her store on Jan. 22. She told Judge Sautner that Lohan had been coming into the store all week to look at items, but never bought anything. She waited to report the necklace stolen because the actress had said she'd be back in a day to buy something else.

After a police report was filed, authorities reportedly waited until she was photographed wearing the necklace before deciding to pursue charges. A friend of the actress turned the necklace in to the Pacific Division of the LAPD on Feb. 2.

Lohan claims that the necklace was loaned to her -- and that her stylist simply forgot to return it in time. Kaman says she did not have any agreement with Lohan allowing her to leave the store with the necklace.

Lohan was officially charged during a hearing on Feb. 9. After pleading not guilty, Judge Keith Schwartz lanced into the actress for not taking the charges seriously. "If you violate the law again, I will remand you with no bail," he told her. "Things will be different."

The actress, who remains on probation in a 2007 drunken driving case, is accused of taking the necklace roughly three weeks after she was released from three months of court-ordered rehab at the Betty Ford Center.

Lohan has gotten her fill of jail time in recent years, ranging from 84 minutes to 14 days. Her early releases have been due to overcrowding and state-mandated credits for time-served.

Tags: Lindsay Lohan

Comments

(40)

Wednesday 11 May

By stu

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this went on longer than the OJ murder case!

By bgs

I agree and who the heck wants to watch her on anything. I don't plan to watch anything she is in. Why don't they put this girl in prison for a year! Let her have a dose of REALITY! No wonder she just keeps screwing up--there are NO consequences for her bad behavior. Maybe producers need to realize we don't want to see her!!!!

By themeeker

Anything bad that happens to this witless slag is her own fault.

By ftuna2u2

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Stratospheric career??????
You can't be serious.

By Ferrari Bubba

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Hey 2u2: Now you're stealing lines from John McEnroe? -- Yer pal Ferrari Bubba

By RAS

I did a double take at " stratospheric career" A few kiddie movies and that was a long time ago and nothing of substanance as an adult. If Lindsay Lohan is the bench mark for talent and a great career then society has hit rock bottom.

By fiona

Yeah, I had to laugh at that 'stratospheric career' blurb. She's only done 6 movies of any consequence, mostly fluff, and three of them were in 2003-04. She was so bad in her last major release, Georgia Rule, she's not had a decent offer since. The media's obsession with her antics is the only thing that keeps her in the tabloids. And when you're reduced to tabloid fodder, you're washed up.

By randy

Only Charlie Sheen is a bigger loser than Lindsay - what a waste!

By Mary

What career? A couple of lame movies, and lousy photo shoots. She beat the system again as usual. Just wait til she screws up again, then what.

By mp

They all think they are doing her a big favor when really they are delaying her doom. She tried to hit bottom but all of her enablers won't let her. Let's see how long it takes for her to take things into her own hands and show the results of all of their well-intentioned "help".

By Zero

She's like Jackie Chan,
they both do their own stunts.

By JEB BUCKINGHAM

And,....once again Lindsay lohan gets of with a slap on the wrist, and a mocking of the California judicial system. Amazing.

By CoyoteMan

I guess you could say that case was an albatross around her neck?
:))

By Polar Patrol

Not even house arrest? I know she wanted a necklace, but maybe an ankle bracelet is more her style anyhow.

By mac daddy

Casey Anthony in Orlando has been waiting trial for what 2 years? she is truly evil and should be duct taped with her hands tied until she dies. just like her girl did! death penalty!!!!!!

By toffeenutte

mac daddy ... I totally agree with you! I have been following her case and I, too, believe Casey Anthony is an evil sociopath.

I pray to God she doesn't get off on some screwed up technicality the way OJ Simpson did!!!

By blochuckles

As long as the legal system keeps kissing this spoiled brat's a**, she will NEVER learn!!!!!!!!!!!!

By dewlady357

I hate myself right now for reading more about this druggy alcoholic MORON! My GOD why doesn't she just take a long walk off a short dock and get it over with. She will eventually kill herself anyhow. She is a worthless person with worthless parents and a worthless career. A train wreck waiting to happen. She disgusts me and everybody else by paying off all the judges so far. Anyone else notice she only has MEN judges??? LOLOL.. just sayin'.....

By Reece

This amounts to nothing more than a slap on the hand and a scolding. If overcrowding is such as issue than make her serve the 120 days for probation violations( all of them) under house arrest with ankle and alcohol monitoring devices ( make sure she does not drink) and have her drug tested once a week. She should only leave for medical emergencies. All her enablers are just speeding up the trip to her ultimate destination ( Anna Nicole Smith, Michael Jackson...etc etc).

And I would like to add she should also be forced to pay for every dime of court costs city,and state costs incurred for all her escapades.

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