Actress escapes serious felony charges that could have landed her in jail for more than a year.
Lindsay Lohan received some comparatively good news on Thursday (August 23), when prosecutors charged her with seven misdemeanor counts for her two DUI arrests earlier this year. The 21-year-old actress, who is in the midst of her third rehab stint of 2007, escaped more serious felony charges that could have landed her in jail for more than a year.
Instead, Lohan was charged with two counts each of driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 percent and being under the influence of cocaine; and one count of reckless driving, according a report from the Los Angeles district attorney's office.
The cocaine charges stem from the fact that police found a substance believed to be cocaine at the scene of the crash on May 26, and they discovered a small packet of cocaine in her jeans when she was arrested on July 24 in Santa Monica, California. According to prosecutors, the amounts of cocaine found tested below the .05 grams required to qualify for a felony filing. After the May 26 crash — in which Lohan is alleged to have lost control of her Mercedes and crashed into a tree on Sunset Boulevard at 5:26 a.m. — tests on a substance found in Lohan's purse came up as .04 grams of cocaine powder. During her second arrest — for allegedly chasing another car driven by the mother of a former assistant — officers found a container on Lohan that tested positive for .02 grams of cocaine, according to a press release on the charges from the DA's office.
Lohan's arraignment on the charges is scheduled for Friday in Beverly Hills, although the matter could be addressed later on Thursday if Lohan's attorneys agree to have it fast-tracked. The actress does not have to be present at either conference. It was unclear at press time how much, if any, time Lohan would serve on the charges.
Lohan's lawyer could not be reached for comment at press time, and her spokeswoman, Leslie Sloane-Zelnick, had no comment.
Lindsay Lohan received some comparatively good news on Thursday (August 23), when prosecutors charged her with seven misdemeanor counts for her two DUI arrests earlier this year. The 21-year-old actress, who is in the midst of her third rehab stint of 2007, escaped more serious felony charges that could have landed her in jail for more than a year.
Instead, Lohan was charged with two counts each of driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 percent and being under the influence of cocaine; and one count of reckless driving, according a report from the Los Angeles district attorney's office.
The cocaine charges stem from the fact that police found a substance believed to be cocaine at the scene of the crash on May 26, and they discovered a small packet of cocaine in her jeans when she was arrested on July 24 in Santa Monica, California. According to prosecutors, the amounts of cocaine found tested below the .05 grams required to qualify for a felony filing. After the May 26 crash — in which Lohan is alleged to have lost control of her Mercedes and crashed into a tree on Sunset Boulevard at 5:26 a.m. — tests on a substance found in Lohan's purse came up as .04 grams of cocaine powder. During her second arrest — for allegedly chasing another car driven by the mother of a former assistant — officers found a container on Lohan that tested positive for .02 grams of cocaine, according to a press release on the charges from the DA's office.
Lohan's arraignment on the charges is scheduled for Friday in Beverly Hills, although the matter could be addressed later on Thursday if Lohan's attorneys agree to have it fast-tracked. The actress does not have to be present at either conference. It was unclear at press time how much, if any, time Lohan would serve on the charges.
Lohan's lawyer could not be reached for comment at press time, and her spokeswoman, Leslie Sloane-Zelnick, had no comment.
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