LOS ANGELES: A judge sentenced US starlet Lindsay Lohan to 120 days in jail for violating her probation, along with community service at the Los Angeles County morgue and a women's center. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner ruled that the 24-year-old had violated her probation for a 2007 drug and drunk driving offense when she allegedly stole a $2,500 necklace from a jewelry store in the Los Angeles seafront neighborhood of Venice Beach where she lives. It would mark the troubled star's fourth stint in jail, though previous ones have been short-lived. Sautner said Lohan, who only returned the necklace when she learned the Los Angeles Police Department was serving her with a search warrant, should have give it back immediately after realizing she had taken it with her. Lohan's lawyer immediately announced the actress would appeal the sentence, which included 480 hours of community service. She was expected to be released on $75,000 bail. Earlier, Lohan scored a legal victory of sorts when Sautner reduced her charge for stealing the necklace from a felony to a misdemeanor, a move that would substantially reduce the amount of prison time the actress could face if convicted. A preliminary hearing was set for May 11 and the trial, if it does in fact take place, is tentatively due to kick off on June 3. Prosecutor Danette Meyers denounced Sautner's decision, which would limit Lohan's potential jail time to a year or less for the alleged theft, down from three years if convicted on the grand theft charge. She called the move “a clear abuse of discretion” and said she was still weighing whether to appeal the decision.
