Los Angeles, Mar 9: Actress Lindsay Lohan will not accept a plea deal that includes a guaranteed jail sentence when she returns to court on Thursday, a source close to the actress said.
The "Mean Girls" star is due back in court Thursday morning to tell a judge whether she intends to accept a deal in a felony grand theft case filed over a necklace reported stolen by an upscale jewelry store.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz will lay out the next steps in the case at the hearing, which could include scheduling a preliminary hearing during which prosecutors would present some of their evidence in the case.
The source told The Associated Press of Lohan's intentions on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Lohan has pleaded not guilty to stealing the $2,500 necklace from Kamofie & Co., a jewelry store near Lohan's Venice home. The store reported the item missing on Jan. 22, roughly three weeks after Lohan had been released from rehab at the Betty Ford Center.
Footage from the store's four surveillance cameras were obtained from a rep for Kamofie by a commercial images division of the AP, which then licensed it exclusively to "Entertainment Tonight."
The program aired snippets of the video for three days this week, showing Lohan pacing, texting, trying on two other necklaces, and leaving the store after about 45 minutes with the jewelry still around her neck.
On Wednesday, "Entertainment Tonight" showed Lohan leaving the store with a clerk opening the door for her and smiling.
The source said Lohan's defense team considers the video and its sale to be helpful to the actress' case.
Lohan and her attorney, Shawn Holley, have denied any wrongdoing by the actress.
Schwartz has told the 24-year-old he will sentence her to jail if she accepts the plea deal offered by prosecutors at a hearing in February. The exact terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but Lohan still faces the prospect of being sent to jail if she decides to fight the case.
She was on probation for a 2007 drunken driving case when the incident happened, and Schwartz is the third judge to threaten Lohan with jail if she violated the terms of her release.
If Lohan is ordered to stand trial on the theft charge after a preliminary hearing, a judge could determine the starlet violated her probation and sentence her to jail while she awaits trial.
The owners of Kamofie & Co. announced Wednesday that they will auction the necklace and donate the proceeds to an unspecified charity after Lohan's case is resolved.
We have already publicly released the videotape which speaks for itself and accurately records the incident, and we believe the next step toward achieving closure is to donate the now-famous jewelry to charity," store owners Sofia and Geoff Kaman said in a statement released Wednesday morning.
They did not say which charity may receive the proceeds, but are seeking suggestions on a website set up to possibly stream the video online at a later date, www.necklacevideo.com.
The necklace remains in the custody of authorities. Kamofie spokesman Christopher Spencer said the auction will not take place until after the theft case is resolved. AP
