By Sheri
LINDSAY LOHAN HAS ONLY 2 WEEKS OF FREEDOM LEFT
Lindsay Lohan appeared in the Beverly Hills Municipal Court this afternoon for her probation hearing. (She entered the court a smart 10 minutes early and was dressed much more conservatively than last time.) Her expression looked rather indignant, yet also alert and concerned as she scribbled something on a legal pad (as well as F****You on her left middle fingernail apparently!) during the prosecution’s grilling as the prosecution told the judge that Lindsay violated the terms of the probation. Stemming from her 2007 DUI, drug possession and second DUI, the judge had ordered that Lohan was to attend alcohol education classes regularly.
The prosecution argued that Lindsay had missed 9 classes. The judge looked through excuse reports from the alcohol education center. Lindsay herself spoke saying she wasn’t taking this as a joke and didn’t know she was thought to be in violation. She was given permission from the center to make up the times she said; due to her career she had a different schedule than most people (this is true — film business, but still). The judge said that she had ruled that no matter what Lindsay was to have gone to every class without missing any.
The prosecutor grilled the co-owner of the alcohol education center, Cheryl Marshall, who seemed scared to death and confused. Marshall testified that Lohan did go to the classes including group classes. The prosecutor had to ask Marshall several times how many people were in the group classes — she wasn’t going to let that one go because Lindsay was the only person!
The judge found Linsday guilty of not complying with the court order to attend all 27 classes. Lohan’s lawyer feebly tried to argue she missed 7 not the 9 the prosecutor claimed. Tomatoes Tomahtoes at that point! The judge wasn’t impressed! She rattled off Lindsay’s excuses of being on a film shoot and being stranded in various world locations.
Worse, the judge pointed out that during the drug charge, Lindsay denied everything, at one point saying “I don’t do drugs” when cocaine was found in her pants.
By the way, Lindsay’s (es)strange(d) dad, Michael Lohan, was at the hearing and again asked the judge to send Lindsay to residential rehab rather than jail. He’d written letters to the court previously, asking the judge to send his daughter to residential rehab so that she can get help for her substance abuse problem. Michael says that Lindsay has a prescription drug addiction, which not surprisingly, Lindsay denies.
Lindsay broke down in tears when the judge finally ruled that Lohan must serve 90 consecutive days in prison (30 for reckless driving, 30 for the first DUI and 30 for the second DUI) followed directly by 90 days in rehab. I don’t think Lindsay could believe it: she pleaded quietly with her lawyer, but of course there was nothing the attorney could do. That was the judge’s final ruling and the judge was dead serious.
The judge didn’t miss citing all of Lohan’s errors including trying to blame her DUIs on other people. Lindsay had said “the guy in the orange shirt” had been driving, denying that she was. When he said no way, he was not the driver, the judge reminded Lindsay that what she had done was say “oh, it was the guy in the white shirt” who also denied it and Lohan was proven to be the driver.
Lohan’s surrender date — meaning the day she has to start serving the 90 day jail term followed by 90 days in rehab — is July 20. Linsday has 2 weeks of freedom, but can’t drink or drive (or drinkanddrive!). It’s sad that this came down to jail and forcing her to go to rehab, but maybe now she’ll realize how serious her problems really are! (Hopefully!)