Lindsay Lohan Update: Judge offers actress 60-90 days in jail if she pleads to necklace theft
(CBS) NEW YORK - The judge presiding over Lindsay Lohan's felony grand theft case has offered the troubled starlet 60-90 days in jail if she pleads guilty to the charge, but the actress still may opt to head to trial, according to an online report.
The "Mean Girls" star was charged with felony grand theft after jewelry store Kamofie & Co. reported that she stole a "one of a kind" necklace worth a reported $2,500.
Lohan must inform Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz by March 23 if she is planning on taking the deal, and if she does she will then appear in front of him to plead on March 25, reports celebrity news site Radar Online.
"If Lindsay does gamble, and go to trial, and the jury finds her guilty, there is a chance she wouldn't go to state prison," a source close to the case told Radar. "The DA would assess the evidence and the witness testimony, if the jury does find her guilty."
"State prison is absolutely NOT a foregone conclusion. Danette Meyers could ask Judge Stephanie Sautner to place her on felony probation, instead of jail," says the source according to the gossip site.
On Tuesday, film producer Nathan Folks, who recently cast Lohan in his upcoming movie "Escaping the Game," suggested "foul play" by the Los Angeles Police Department in the actress' necklace entanglement and created a legal team that he claimed was "second to none," to help in Lohan's defense.
If Lohan chooses not to accept the plea deal, then her case will be transferred to Judge Sautner, who she will appear in front of April 21 for a preliminary hearing, reports Radar.
But plea deal or not, Radar's source claims some jail time is inevitable for the young actress.
"There is jail time ahead for Lindsay though, there is no mistake about that," the source says. "If she doesn't accept the plea deal and insists on going to trial she will serve some time for parole violation, regardless of whether she is ultimately found guilty of the theft charges or not."
Click here for complete coverage of Lindsay Lohan on Crimesider.