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 Gabrielle

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OH, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...till she screws up again in about 4 months. Same old, same old, just another day that she has gotten away with stealing, drugs, ect. If this happened to me my but would have been in jail the 1st time...and I'd still be sitting there.

By Tony DiFranco

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It seems to me that fame and fortune provide Ms. Lohan with the means to partake in her wild-life style activities. Perhaps we as the public should ignore the press releases and the media should lay off. She needs time as an ordinary Ms. Doe, no limelight, no fame, while living off interest on prior earnings. Producers may want to give her another shot at stardom but, frankly, she will take away from anything good that might be produced in film. Aside from her role as a twin during her early youth, I cannot remember a movie role worthy of any acclaim.

By Mike

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The California legal system is a total farce.

By themeeker

Still being called the "Mean Girls" "star" after all these years? What a loser.

Snort it up Linzey...there won't be much more after this. Drugs cost money.

By Julie

She needs to be locked up. Everytime she screws up she gets the "next time...." speech and she gets off. No wonder she keeps doing things nothing ever happens to her. She has no career, if she gets put in a movie it will just be a tax write off for the studio. I wouldn't even think she could be insured.

By carla

I have taken an oath today! (hand raised in the air) I will no longer read another article on Lindsay Lohan until the article reads " Lindsay Lohan is Dead" so help me God! Then and only then will the article be worth reading. She is a joke, the court system is a joke. And who is laughing all the way to the bank LINDSAY is.

By Mary

So daddy is paying her legal bills, where will he get 135,000 dollars? She also tested positive for alchol on Feb 8th. SHe needs to be in jail, stop giving her breaks, she will never learn. New name for her, Loser Lindsay.

By shlockomania

Let Jerry Lewis spank her, then put her in another Robert Rodriguez film. That would be punishment enough.

By jessie

well just hope she can get her stuff together and start over and hope she can get her career in place, I don't wish anybody anything bad that has a problem that wants to correct them selfs, give the gril a chance she needs help and it seens she accepting that she does needs help, may God help her !!!

By Kenn

Why does this not surprise me? If she get's any kind of real punishment out of all this I'll believe in miracles.

By TED

i think its good that she's getting some jail time and to maybe make new friends, however now is the time to have an office pool (1-120 days) to see how long she'll be in jail. i think about 31 days

By knightie2008

"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." LOL!
What are you guys smoking...

By Trouble

She has the magic touch with sliming her way out of accountability. I wouldn't watch her pick up garbage. I hope all her "projects" go down the sewer.

By PC

So, how does one go beyond verbalizing the moral outrage of this serial story of our strung-out legal leniency on steroids and realistically push for more responsible actions by the courts towards Ms. Lohan?

What's a disgusted citizen to do now?

Thursday 12 May

By Tom

I said it before and I will say it again, "The system is a joke"!

By shnarkee9873

all i can say is, yes, it is sad. But the bottom line is, she is a HUMAN BEING with an addiction problem. She desperately needs help, not enabling. I myself am a recovering addict/alcoholic,& have done MANY things to myself&others that i am not proud of..& thankfully have not aired in public. If she gets the right people in her corner& truly wants help, she deserves a chance to get her life together. And i pray she doesn't take her life over this, she is young enough to turn this around& enjoy her life.We have lost WAY TOO MANY to this disease..good luck, Lindsay

By wpackers63

"No Contest" is a guilty plea. Read Any Law Book

By Jonathan Girodes

So will she go to jail or not? I hope not.

Jonathan Girodes

By diana

You know I kinda of feel sorry for lindsay Lohan, because she does not have a great family life, and she was obviously raised up as the money earner, and was abused, what hand has her mother lifted to even help her, britney spears(whom I don't care for either) well her parents went and did everything they could to help her, and she is in recovery for her problems, they at least love her, lindsay has a sho-woman for a mom, and if she is messed up this bad, just wait for her little sister ali, and brother, to start, I SAY PUT HER MOM IN JAIL, for being a worthless MOM!

By jim

That's what I like equal justice. Had that been a poor person they would hae made room for her.

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