Lindsay Lohan returns to court, may return to jail

[November 02, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lindsay Lohan returns to court Wednesday to learn whether a judge will agree with a prosecutor advocating that the actress be returned to jail for failing to complete a community service assignment at a women's shelter.

Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner revoked Lohan's probation at a hearing nearly two weeks ago, but now must formally determine whether Lohan violated the terms of her sentence. The judge has asked prosecutors to calculate how long a jail term the actress would have to serve if she is formally found in violation of her probation for misdemeanor drunken driving and theft cases.

Sautner, who is the fifth judge that Lohan has faced since her first arrest in 2007, has expressed exasperation with the actress and California's budget-strapped jail system.

"If jail meant something in the state of California now, maybe I'd put her in jail," Sautner said at Lohan's last court appearance.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office is advocating jail time for the actress; however, spokesman Frank Mateljan declined to say Tuesday what sentence a prosecutor would seek.

Lohan's spokesman, Steve Honig, declined comment before the hearing.

The "Mean Girls" star has been reporting to the Los Angeles morgue regularly, which Sautner ordered her to do at the last court appearance. The judge had sentenced Lohan to serve 120 hours doing janitorial work at coroner's office in April, but expressed hope that the actress would benefit from working three times that amount of hours at a women's shelter.

Lohan, 25, was terminated from the shelter program after failing to show up nine times at the center. She told her probation officer the assignment was not fulfilling, according to the actress' probation report.

The actress' morgue service has not been without drama -- she was turned away the first day after showing up 40 minutes late. She has shown up early several times since then. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter declined to characterize how Lohan's service was progressing Tuesday.

There are few, if any, untried punishment options if Sautner determines Lohan violated her orders. The former Disney star has been sent to jail, rehab, counseling and community service numerous times since being arrested twice for drunken driving in 2007. Her probation on that case is nearly over, but her release remains supervised after Lohan in May pleaded no contest to misdemeanor theft for taking a $2,500 necklace without permission in January.

Once a headlining actress, Lohan's court and personal troubles have overshadowed her career for years.

[Associated Press; By ANTHONY McCARTNEY]

McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.