>>>
this morning,
lindsay lohan
is a
free woman
but that may change tomorrow. she is reportedly facing charges she stole jewelry. and those charges could land her back in jail.
nbc
's kristen welker reports.
>> reporter:
this is the necklace that may have landed
lindsay lohan
in her latest mess. they're reporting the 24-year-old will be charged as early as monday for allegedly stealing the $2,500 piece.
lohan
's attorney fired back releasing a statement, we vehemently deny these allegations and if charges are filed, we will fight them in court, not in the press. the
los angeles county
zrigt attorn district attorney's office responded, the case remains under review. if and when we make a decision, we will let everyone know. a lot of people in the industry are kind of fed up with this roller coster ride.
>> reporter:
the flap started on
january 22nd
when a one of a kind necklace disappeared from this jewelry store near
lohan
's home, a few days later, according to the lapd, they obtained a
search warrant
to look in
lohan
's apartment. but they say the jewelry was returned before the warrant was served. for
lindsay lohan
is actually claiming is that she borrowed the necklace from the store to wear at a dinner in public and forgot to return the item.
>> reporter:
the store wouldn't comment except to say they gave police video which shows
lohan
inside their shop on the day the necklace disappeared.
lindsay lohan
's
legal battles
continue to mount against her.
lohan
is currently under investigation in
riverside county
for allegedly assaulting an employee at the
betty ford clinic
where she was a patient for three months.
lohan
was ordered to rehab after violating her probation on a
2007
dui arrest.
>>
you're deeg dealialing with a
probation violation
that will land her in jail for any time left on that prior dui. that doesn't count any potential new sentence. and this
grand theft
carries a time up to three years.
>> reporter:
it is another potential setback for a young star struggling to get back on track. for today, kristen welker,
nbc
news,
los angeles
.
>>
is
lohan
finally run out of luck? we have an
nbc
legal analyst with us and
bonnie fuller
is editor in -- i'm all over the place here. let's just get right to it. good morning to both of you. i have to start with this. enough is enough already. are we just all fed up with this? are fans running out of patience? media running out of patience or is this a case of yet more publicity for her?
>>
i think her fans are running out of patience. but what is worse for her is that the hollywood community is running out of patience. and this
young woman
, she needs to get back to work. she needs to have a career. but this new incident makes it even harder for her to look at getting employed and cast in a film.
>>
she denies she stole the necklace. could she have really borrowed it? could that be what happened here?
>>
it could. yes, absolutely. it could have happened. but it doesn't look good. the store is not saying anything about working with a styist. they seem to believe very strongly that she is the only person involved.
>>
if she's charged, what does this mean for her probation?
>>
new arrest is an automatic violation of probation. she owes six months on that. she will go to prison for that. the judge who sentenced her for the dui says any violation of probation lands you back in jail. plus, she faces time on the new arrest which is up to three years in
state prison
.
>>
so this is looking like this could be jail time.
>>
could be. it will be jail time.
>>
it's going to land her back in jail if arrested. when you're on probation, that's basically jail at home.
>>
so she's recently at a rehab. how has she been acting since she got out of rehab?
>>
for lindsey, she does appear to have turned over a new leaf. she's not out clubbing which is great. she has been going to her court mandated alcohol rehab sessions. and so she was looking good until this happened.
>>
she allegedly just flufrpg flufrpg flunked a
drug test
.
>>
it is always her image and how many pegs does this knock her down now for whatever image she was in the process of trying to rebuild?
>>
she doesn't seem to take this seriously. i don't know why she's not concerned. she was out at a fa fancy event friday night. she is more concerned about that than the fact she can't get hired because
nobody knows
if she's going to jail.
>>
she can't use her addiction for a defense, can she?
>>
addiction is not a defense. the judge has already given her five shots at rehab. she has already been in prison tl three times. addiction is a disease but not a defense. somebody that seriously wants to get help would have gotten help by now. if she did, in fact, steal this necklace, she is legally responsible like anybody else. celebrity is not a defense. addiction is not a defense. she's going to have to pay the consequences for this crime.
>>
thank you so much susan and bonnie. thank you very much for both of you. we'll have to wait and see how this one plays out.
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