Jack Bauer is the one who's above the law. Kiefer Sutherland, on the other hand, has to play by the rules.
The Emmy-winning actor will be heading to jail later this year after pleading no contest Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge stemming from his Sept. 25 DUI bust. Sutherland did not appear in court but his attorney entered the plea on his behalf.
In exchange for copping to a count of driving with a blood-alcohol level above 0.08 percent, prosecutors agreed to drop a second misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence, Los Angeles City Attorney's Office spokesman Frank Mateljan told E! Online.
Sutherland, 40, won't be formally sentenced until Dec. 21, but the 24 star has already agreed to the 48-day jail sentence—30 days on the DUI charge and 18 days for probation violation— recommended by the City Attorney's Office. (View the sentencing recommendation.)
After he's sentenced he must immediately serve 18 days, which will coincide with 24's winter production hiatus, and then he'll have until July 1, 2008, to fulfill the remainder of his sentence.
"I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and coworkers on 24 and at 20th Century Fox," Sutherland said in a statement.
Per the plea agreement, Sutherland must remain locked up for the full 48 days and, to avoid any Parisian confusion, is not eligible for at-home ankle bracelet monitoring. He has also been ordered to enroll in an 18-month alcohol education class and attend weekly alcohol-therapy sessions for six months.
When Sutherland was pulled over last month after leaving a Fox party celebrating the launch of the fall 2007 TV season, he was already in the middle of a 60-month stretch of probation from a 2004 DUI conviction. He was also sentenced to 50 hours of community service and ordered to attend an alcohol-treatment program, both of which he completed in 2005.
But while a stint behind bars could have affected production on the seventh season of 24, Fox said that Sutherland took matters into his own hands to keep the cameras rolling smoothly.
"Today our friend Kiefer Sutherland resolved his criminal case at the earliest opportunity," 20th Century Fox and Fox Broadcasting said in a joint statement. "Kiefer made clear to us at the time of his arrest that his first concern was the welfare of those he worked with and that he intended to do whatever was necessary to prevent shutting down the show because of his situation.
"He told us that even if he had to sacrifice more time in custody in order to protect the show and the jobs of those who work with him, he would do so. From what occurred today, it is evident he is a man of his word. We wish him well and look forward to a long relationship with him."