14 DAY TRIAL // Lindsay Lohan was in court again a few hours ago and, despite the fact that the DA wanted her back in jail for at least 180 days, she caught a very lucky break when she was ordered back to rehab at least until January 3, 2011.
As several reports in the media indicate, Lindsay will remain at the Betty Ford Center, where she admitted herself of her own will at the end of September, past the New Year, until a few weeks to her next court date in February.
TMZ says Lindsay’s attorney tried to convince the Judge that the star was literally bleeding money in rehab and watching her career go down the drain, but, when the alternative – jail – was presented, both she and Lohan were happy with rehab.
“Lohan is due back in court on February 25. She will be subject to drug testing in between her release from rehab until her court date. If Lindsay does not test positive for drugs or alcohol before her next scheduled during that time, he will convert her sentence to unsupervised probation,” TMZ says.
“The DA recommended Lindsay get 180 days in county jail. The judge specifically stated he wanted Lindsay in rehab past the New Year,” the same media outlet informs.
The Judge tried to make Lohan understand that there was a good reason behind his decision to send her back to rehab – and it had a lot to do with her failed drug tests of a few weeks ago.
“You are an addict. I hope you understand that. I don’t want another train wreck,” he told the star, who was trying very hard not to cry, the same media outlet reports.
E! Online informs that, while Lindsay has been very vocal about how “well” she feels as a result of the inpatient rehabilitation program, she also had her attorney try to convince the judge to let her go free.
Ironically enough, she seemed to have done so under the impression that she wouldn’t be sent to jail – but she really did not have a third choice, apart from these two options.
“She indicates she cannot afford to continue to pay for the treatment program and she needs to work,” papers filed in court indicate.
“The defendant states her clothing line is falling apart because she is not available to monitor the product,” the same papers read.
The only leniency Lindsay got from the Judge was that she wasn’t sent back to jail, as the DA would have wanted. For the time being, she remains at Betty Ford as an inpatient.