My 1st Blogging: Lindsay Lohan 'Will Be Going To Jail' If She Accepts Plea Deal

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Lindsay Lohan 'Will Be Going To Jail' If She Accepts Plea Deal

Judge tells Lohan if she pleads guilty to theft charge, she will serve time for probation violation.
By James Montgomery

Lindsay Lohan (file)
Photo: Pool/ Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan arrived at Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday morning (February 23) facing the possibility of jail time, after being offered a plea deal related to her alleged theft of a $2,500 necklace on January 22. She left without accepting the deal, and with the prospect of jail still very much in the cards.

Lohan, who wore a low-cut black top to the proceedings, was told by Judge Keith Schwartz that if she does accept Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers' offer to settle the case, she "will be going to jail." According to TMZ, the deal is for six months of jail time.

Schwartz — who would handle sentencing if she accepts the plea — let it be known that he wouldn't allow her celebrity to affect his decision, telling her, bluntly, "I don't care that you're Lindsay Lohan.

"One of the things about me is that I treat everybody the same," Schwartz continued. "What I look to in sentencing is, 'What is the prior record?' In this particular case, there has been so much speculation in the press [that] I'm just going to tell you a couple of things: If you plead in front of me, you are going to jail. There might be an issue about the amount of time, but if the case settles here, you will be going to jail."

Schwartz said that if Lohan accepts the DA's deal — thereby pleading guilty to felony grand theft — she would be found in violation of her probation and would serve time. He also recommended a psychological evaluation of Lohan to help him determine an appropriate sentence.

After posting bail on the felony charge, Lohan took to Twitter to proclaim her innocence, and, with attorney Shawn Holley at her side, she maintained that tact on Wednesday. All indications are she plans to stand trial on the charge and, if found guilty, could face up to one year in state prison.

Lohan is due back in court on March 10. But before then, Schwartz instructed both attorneys to meet and discuss the possibility of accepting the plea.

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