It was a deja vu day for the starlet, who was admonished by a judge — the fourth she's faced in nearly a year — who said she thought the actress had intentionally taken the $2,500 (Dh9,182) necklace from an upscale store and shown poor judgment in not trying to return it until police became involved.
But by reducing the actress' charge from felony grand theft to a misdemeanour, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner may have set in motion what has become a familiar cycle for Lohan — being sent to jail only to have the sentence cut short due to jail overcrowding.
Lohan's attorney Shawn Holley filed a notice of appeal right before court closed, clearing the way for the actress' release on bail. She was freed at 9.21pm after posting $75,000 bail, according to the sheriff department's website.
Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers, who presented four witnesses who described Lohan's conduct in the jewellery store and with the necklace, said her office would consider appealing the ruling as well. "We believe there was a clear abuse of discretion," she said.
‘I see the intent'
Sautner agreed with Meyers that Lohan showed intent to keep the necklace, and said that she thought Lohan's conduct probably warranted a felony.
"I see the intent here," Sautner said. "I see a level of brazenness with, ‘Let me see what I can get away with here.'"
But the judge said felony grand theft cases involving higher-valued goods are often reduced to the misdemeanour level and thought it was appropriate in Lohan's case. "I'm going to give her an opportunity," the judge said.
She also said she hoped to give the Mean Girls and Freaky Friday star a dose of perspective by sentencing her to almost 500 hours of community service, including time at the county morgue and 300 hours at a women's shelter.
It is unclear what effect the sentence may have on Lohan's next acting role. Producers of the film Gotti: Three Generations announced on Wednesday that Lohan had been cast to play the wife of John Gotti Jr in the film.
She told The Associated Press afterward she didn't think her court case would affect her work.
"I think in the past, I had a lot of distractions," she said. "I've learned a lot. I've lived a lot. When I'm on set, it's about the film."
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