Lindsay Lohan Charged With Lying to Officer; New York Arrest Could Be Probation Violation

Liz & Dick star charged for three misdemeanors stemming from June 8 traffic incident in Santa Monica, legal expert weighs in

By Rebecca Macatee Nov 29, 2012 9:29 PMTags
Lindsay Lohan, GMAABC/Donna Svennevik

Not a good day for Lindsay Lohan.

Hours after the Liz & Dick star was arrested (and then released) for allegedly assaulting Tiffany Mitchell at New York City's Avenue lounge, she was charged with lying to police in relation to her June 8 Porsche crash in Santa Monica, Calif.

The Santa Monica City Attorney's Office charged the Mean Girls star with willingly resisting, obstructing, or delaying an officer in the course of their duties, providing false information to an officer, and reckless driving, E! News confirms. All of these charges are misdemeanors, and a court date has not yet been set at this time.

Criminal justice expert Wendy Feldman, who is not involved with Lindsay, talked to E! News about the actress's most recent troubles and the possibility of Thursday's alleged assault being a violation of her ongoing probation.

"Even though she hasn't been convicted yet, when a judge looks at the big picture, the allegations and arrests count," said Feldman. "The arrest this morning doesn't mean she'll have a conviction.  But as far as probation goes, the California judge may look at the arrest and say, 'You have issues in California and now there's issues in New York. You're up to things.' It matters in her character.  It adds to her history."

"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," she added. "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."

"The New York City arrest could push this over the edge," Feldman mused. "The judge could just say, 'This is ridiculous, you can't handle alternative sentencing.'"

Per her attorney Mark Heller, Lohan is due in a New York court Jan. 7 for arraignment if she's formally charged with assault.

—Reporting by Marcus Mulick, Holly Passalaqua and Claudia Rosenbaum