Lindsay Lohan Pleads No Contest, Avoids Jail

After a flurry of closed-door negotiations, Lindsay Lohan pleaded no contest Monday to a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from a crash on Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica and was ordered to spend 90 days in a locked rehabilitation facility.

The 26-year-old actress also must perform 30 days of community labor and undergo 18 months of psychotherapy, which her attorney said she has already begun.

Lohan also admitted violating her probation in an earlier Venice theft case, but a 180-day jail sentence for that violation was put on hold by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James R. Dabney, who said if the actress meets all the terms of her latest sentence, her probation in that case will be reinstated and she won't serve any additional time behind bars.

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Her latest sentence also includes two years probation and a five-day jail term, but attorneys said Lohan would essentially be booked at the Santa Monica Police Department and released.

Lohan left the Airport Branch Courthouse after the hearing without responding to questions shouted by a pack of reporters waiting outside. Her father, Michael, also attended the hearing with lawyers he had hired in hopes of them taking over her defense. He also left the courthouse without comment.

The actress had been scheduled to go on trial this morning on three misdemeanors stemming from the June 8 crash, which occurred while Lohan was heading to the set of her made-for-television movie "Liz & Dick."

She had been charged with reckless driving, lying to police and obstructing officers investigating the crash. She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and lying to police, and the third count was dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Lohan arrived to court nearly 50 minutes late after apparently missing her regular flight from New York. She made it to Los Angeles aboard a private jet provided by Mr. Pink Beverages, according to Lohan's Twitter page.

The actress was showered with gold glitter thrown by someone in the crowd as the actress walked into the courthouse around 9:20 a.m. Once she made it to the courthouse, the actress sat in a courtroom, chatting occasionally with sheriff's deputies, while her attorney Mark J. Heller and his associates met with prosecutors in the judge's chambers.

At about 11 a.m., Lohan went into a conference room with her attorney. The court hearing eventually began around noon.

According to police and prosecutors, Lohan told officers she was a passenger during the June 8 crash, but investigators later determined she was behind the wheel when her Porsche crashed into the rear of a truck in Santa Monica. The misdemeanors each carried potential jail terms ranging from three months to a year.

Lohan was already on probation for her May 2011 no contest plea to a misdemeanor grand theft charge stemming from the theft of a necklace from a Venice jewelry store.