Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner ruled that the 24-year-old had violated her probation for a 2007 drug and drunk driving offense when she allegedly stole a $2,500 necklace from a jewelry store in the Los Angeles seafront neighborhood of Venice Beach where she lives.[break]
It would mark the troubled star´s fourth stint in jail, though previous ones have been short-lived.
Sautner said Lohan, who only returned the necklace when she learned the Los Angeles Police Department was serving her with a search warrant, should have give it back immediately after realizing she had taken it with her.
Lohan´s lawyer immediately announced the actress would appeal the sentence, which included 480 hours of community service. She was expected to be released on $75,000 bail.
Earlier, Lohan scored a legal victory of sorts when Sautner reduced her charge for stealing the necklace from a felony to a misdemeanor, a move that would substantially reduce the amount of prison time the actress could face if convicted.
A preliminary hearing was set for May 11 and the trial, if it does in fact take place, is tentatively due to kick off on June 3.
Prosecutor Danette Meyers denounced Sautner´s decision, which would limit Lohan´s potential jail time to a year or less for the alleged theft, down from three years if convicted on the grand theft charge.
She called the move "a clear abuse of discretion" and said she was still weighing whether to appeal the decision.
Meyers said Lohan deserves to serve time in jail. "She continues to violate the law. She is not taking this seriously," the prosecutor added.
Lohan was sentenced in July to serve 90 days in jail and another 90 days in rehab for violating her probation in a drunk-driving case. But due to jail overcrowding, she served just 13 days before being freed to the detox facility.
In 2007, she spent just 84 minutes in jail after police arrested her twice for cocaine possession while driving -- in one instance crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a tree.
She completed a court-ordered spell in rehab for drug addiction in January.
During Friday´s hearing, the jewelry shop´s manager said she had noticed the necklace had disappeared 10 minutes after Lohan left the store.
Another employee at the store said that Lohan had nearly stolen off with a diamond earring four days earlier before she stopped the star in time.
A queen of Hollywood nights and a favorite target of the paparazzi, the former Disney child star was once considered one of the most promising actresses of her generation.
But Lohan´s career has dipped many times since 2005 amid legal woes, visits to rehab and movie flops.
In 2008, the "Parent Trap" star received two Razzie Awards, the satirical prizes presented to Hollywood´s worst acting performances.
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