Lindsay Lohan Avoids Felony Charges in DUI Cases

Lindsay Lohan dodged felony charges in her two drunken-driving cases, with prosecutors filing misdemeanor counts after tests found she possessed insufficient amounts of cocaine, authorities announced Thursday.

The actress was charged with seven counts, including two counts each of driving under the influence, driving with blood alcohol of over .08 percent, being under the influence of cocaine, as well as reckless driving, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says.

By avoiding felony charges, Lohan faces a maximum penalty of days – rather than years – behind bars. If convicted of the two DUIs, she faces a mandatory sentence of at least four days in jail. However, her attorney could successfully argue for more rehab in lieu of jail time.

The charges stem from two separate DUI incidents, one in May in Beverly Hills and one in July in Santa Monica.

In both incidents, police found Lohan in possession of cocaine. But in each case, the amounts tested were below the .05 grams required by office policy for felony filing.

A conference before a Beverly Hills judge is set for Thursday afternoon, in which Lohan may enter a plea a day before her arraignment which was originally set for Friday.

The 21-year-old actress is currently in rehab at the Cirque Lodge program in Utah.

Lohan was arrested on July 24 after allegedly hijacking an SUV with two men inside, and recklessly chasing another SUV – driven by the mother of her personal assistant – through the streets of Santa Monica, Calif.

She was booked for DUI, possession of cocaine, transporting a narcotic into a custody facility, and driving on a suspended license. Officers found a container on Lohan that tested at .02 grams of cocaine, according to the DA.

Lohan was previously arrested for DUI after crashing her Mercedes-Benz in Beverly Hills just two months prior. Tests showed that the substance found in her purse was .04 grams of cocaine powder.

On Aug. 14, Tracie Rice, a passenger in the car Lohan was allegedly chasing, filed a lawsuit for an undisclosed amount against the actress.

Rice "thought she was going to die that night," her attorney Paul Hoffman told PEOPLE, "and Ms. Lohan needs to be held accountable."

Re: Lindsay Lohan Avoids Felony Charges in DUI Cases

I heard she got a plea to serve only a day in jail....A DAY???? She was caught for what the third time driving drunk and with cocaine in her car....our justice system is disgusting

Must be nice to have money and buy your way out of jail

Re: Lindsay Lohan Avoids Felony Charges in DUI Cases

I think she's done! I think the civil actions against her are going to be her undoing, especially if people think she got off easy on the criminal end (kinda like OJ).

I also read somewhere that movie studios won't touch her, because they need to take out insurance on their actors, and she's pretty uninsurable at this point.

Re: Lindsay Lohan Avoids Felony Charges in DUI Cases

Re: Lindsay Lohan Avoids Felony Charges in DUI Cases

yep, I guess she officially got 1 day . We can probably take bets though on how long it takes her to break probation and pull a Hilton!


Lohan gets 1 day in jail on DUI plea By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday on misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges that calls for her to spend one day in jail, serve 10 days of community service and complete a drug treatment program.

She was also placed on 36 months probation, is required to complete an 18-month alcohol education program, pay hundreds of dollars in fines and must complete a three-day county coroner program in which she'll visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.

"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan said in a statement released by publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnik.

She said she did things she was ashamed of. "I broke the law and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case."

"She's getting what everyone else would get," Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers said after an hourlong hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Chester Horn Jr.'s courtroom. Terms of the plea bargain were worked out in chambers.

If Lohan were to be convicted of another DUI, she would receive a mandatory 120-day jail sentence, Meyers said.

"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself. I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have," Lohan's statement went on.

Lohan was charged earlier in the day with seven misdemeanors stemming from two drunken-driving arrests in the last four months. More serious felony drug charges were not filed, prosecutors said, because tests showed there wasn't enough cocaine on her to warrant them.

Attorney Blair Berk entered pleas on Lohan's behalf: she pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine; no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 percent and one count of reckless driving. Two counts of driving under the influence were dropped.

Lohan was arrested on May 26 in Beverly Hills and on July 24 in Santa Monica. In each incident, the amount of cocaine tested was below the .05 grams required for felony charges, according to the district attorney's office.

Each of Lohan's arrests were followed by trips to rehab.

Lohan's legal problems come on the heels of two other high-profile celebrity DUI cases that resulted in jail time. Paris Hilton served 23 days behind bars after she was found guilty of driving on a suspended license while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless-driving case. Nicole Richie was ordered to serve four days in jail stemming from a December DUI arrest.

Lohan crashed her Mercedes-Benz into a tree on Sunset Boulevard in May and fled the scene to seek medical treatment. Police tests revealed that a white powder found in Lohan's purse was .04 grams of cocaine.

Lohan checked into the posh Promises rehabilitation facility in Malibu after the incident. She left the facility July 13 after six weeks of treatment. She was photographed wearing an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet after her release.

Lohan was arrested again on July 24 following a 911 call by Michelle Peck, the mother of Lohan's former personal assistant. Peck told police she was being chased by an SUV. Police later said Lohan was the driver.

Lohan's blood-alcohol level was between 0.12 and 0.13 percent when police found her, officials said. Police also found a white powder in her pocket that was determined to be .02 grams of cocaine.

She was enrolled in a drug rehab center in Sundance, Utah, attorneys confirmed in court Thursday.

Lohan started 2007 in rehab at the Wonderland Center in Los Angeles.

Lohan's latest film, "I Know Who Killed Me," opened in July to lackluster response.

"I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life," Lohan said in her statement. "Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."

Re: Lindsay Lohan Avoids Felony Charges in DUI Cases

I hope everyone in that car sues her for every dime she's got!