Lindsay Lohan Just Says No to Pleas, Trial to Start
Actress Lindsay Lohan will go to trial on charges she stole necklace valued at $2,5oo from a Los Angeles jewelry store.
On Wednesday, the 24-year-old rejected a plea deal that would have included jail time, ABC News reports. The details of that plea bargain are not publicly available, but it is unlikely it would have included a long jail sentence.
Lohan now faces felony grand theft charges at trial, which comes with a possibility of spending three years in the California state prison system.
The starlet said if she pleaded guilty, she'd be lying. She claims Kamofie & Co. lent her the necklace, and when police asked for it her assistant returned the piece of jewelry.
"Ms. Lohan has maintained her innocence from the moment this case was filed and she has never wavered," wrote Shawn Holley, Lohan's attorney, in a statement made after he rejected the plea deal. "Though many advised her to follow the safe route by taking 'the deal,' the truth is, Ms. Lohan is innocent; she has a strong defense; and we are confident that a jury will listen to the evidence fairly and acquit her."
Lohan will need to appear at an April 22 court hearing. Already, the actress has had three jail stays for charges related to DUI, probation violation and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lohan has also been linked to theft investigations before. In 2009 British police investigated the disappearance of $400,000 worth of Dior jewelry from a photo shoot Lohan did for Elle in that country. The magazine said there was no reason to believe Lohan took the jewels.
A college student filed suit against the actress, accusing her of taking a $12,000 mink coat. She was also questioned last year about the theft of a $35,000 Rolex watch, although the person who reported the theft later withdrew their complaint.
Lohan first became famous for her roles in children's and family movies, including remakes of "Freaky Friday" and "The Parent Trap."
Actress Lindsay Lohan appears in court as she pleads not guilty to a grand theft charge of stealing a $2,500 necklace from a jewelry store, in Los Angeles on February 9, 2011. Lohan is accused of walking out of a Los Angeles jewelry store without paying for a gold designer necklace in January -- just three weeks after ending her fifth stint in drug and alcohol rehab in three years. UPI/Mario Anzuoni/Pool
