Lindsay Lohan Charged on Both Coasts in Same Day
Just hours after Lindsay Lohan was arrested at a New York City nightclub for allegedly punching a woman, she was charged Thursday with three misdemeanors in Santa Monica.
The three crimes Lohan was charged with are giving false information to a police officer, obstructing or resisting an officer in the performance of his duty, and reckless driving when she crashed her Porsche into a dump truck on the Pacific Coast Highway.
These charges could lead to jail time for Lohan, who is still on probation for her misdemeanor grand theft charge when she stole a necklace from a Venice jewelry store.
"If she is convicted of an assault related crime, felony or misdemeanor in New York, her probation will be violated in California, and any jail time that was suspended after her previous conviction will now have to be served. The misdemeanor charges could each carry potential jail terms ranging from three months to a year," L.A. attorney David Wohls said.
The charges capped off a chaotic few hours for the “Mean Girls” actress as she was arrested around 4 a.m. in New York for allegedly punching a woman at a nightclub. The victim has been identified as Tiffany Eve Mitchell, 28, who was questioned and later released.
TMZ reported that Lohan was drunk when the fight occurred and that the actress reportedly slugged Mitchell because she talked to a musician Lohan was interested in.
Criminal justice expert Wendy Feldman talked with E! News about the actress’s most recent troubles. "With the latest car accident charges, she was likely to get community service and therapy, but this fight may tip it over to jail time."
"With alternative sentencing, she'd get therapy and community service. But now a judge may not think she's eligible for special packaging, and they may send her straight to jail. That's how much an arrest can influence it," Feldman said.
"The New York City arrest could push this over the edge," she said. "The judge could just say, 'This is ridiculous, you can't handle alternative sentencing.'"
Lohan is due in court in New York on January 11.