Lindsay Lohan rejects plea deal - but gets more time to think it over
(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - Lindsay Lohan has managed to dodge another bullet after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge gave the "Mean Girls" actress more time to decide whether or not she would accept a plea deal in her felony grand theft case.
Lohan initially rejected a plea deal from prosecutors that included jail time. She later told the judge she agreed to delaying her case until a preliminary hearing when prosecutors will present evidence against her.
Lohan appeared in court Thursday morning to face Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz, who set an interim date of March 25 for a hearing where Lohan can either plead guilty or no contest to the felony grand theft charges.If convicted of grand theft, Lohan could face up to 3 years in state prison.
If Lohan decides she does not want to accept the deal by that date, she will return to court April 22 to face a different judge for a preliminary hearing in the theft case.
The hearing will also determine whether or not Lohan is in violation of her probation.
Lohan had previously pleaded not guilty to a felony grand theft charge after jewelry store Kamofie & Co. reported that the starlet had taken $2,500 necklace without permission.
Since 2007, Lohan's court troubles have overshadowed her career.
In the past 10 months, Lohan has been jailed twice and sent to rehab twice for probation violations. A judge ordered her to undergo three months of treatment at the Betty Ford Center, and it was within three weeks of her release that she was accused of stealing the necklace.