Sean Penn pleaded no contest to vandalism Wednesday, effectively ending a case in which the Oscar-winning actor was videotaped kicking a celebrity photographer. Penn was not present in court and entered the plea through his attorney. He was sentenced to three years of informal probation and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service, said city attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan. Mateljan says those hours can be completed through Penn's earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti. He was also ordered to undergo 36 hours of anger management counseling and stay 100 yards (100 meters) away from the photographer. Penn was charged in February with misdemeanor battery and vandalism for the October dustup and faced up to 18 months in jail if convicted.
