Now that 24 is on hiatus, Kiefer Sutherland is apparently anxious to get this show on the road.
Barely two hours after being formally sentenced to 48 days in jail in connection with his September arrest for driving under the influence, the Emmy winner reported to Glendale City Jail to start serving his time, E! Online has confirmed.
Records show that the 40-year-old actor arrived at 5:30 p.m. and 16 minutes later he was in a holding cell waiting to be photographed and fingerprinted.
Prisoner 1085109 was then issued an orange jumpsuit and assigned to one of the jail's 96 beds which he'll be calling his own for the next six weeks.
"Mr. Sutherland is very polite and humble. He was very cooperative during the booking process," jail spokesman Officer John Balian said.
Sutherland, who had already agreed to the sentence—30 days for a DUI-related charge, 18 days for probation violation—before today's hearing made it official, chose to be locked up in the smaller Glendale facility as opposed to the massive Men's Central Jail, aka the Twin Towers, in downtown Los Angeles.
The 32,000-square-foot Glendale City Jail offers a pay-to-stay program for well-heeled inmates who have committed lesser offenses.
Per the terms of his plea deal, Sutherland has been ordered to spend the entire time behind bars, meaning no house arrest, ankle bracelets or time off for work.
"Sutherland will be serving the 48 days in the Glendale City Jail, with no early release and no good time/work time credit, so we expect that he will serve the entire 48 days in jail," the L.A. City Attorney's Office said in a statement.
The Young Guns star will be cooling his heels in a double-occupancy 10-by-8-foot cell (although he'll get to fly solo, like Paris did) containing a toilet, washbasin and water fountain. Showers are located in a nearby day room.
Prisoners are allowed no more than two 15-minute visits per day and visiting hours are from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Three meals—two hot and one cold—are served daily, with options ranging from corn flakes in the morning to mac-and-cheese and meatloaf at night.
Sutherland will pull laundry and kitchen duty to pass the time, meaning he'll be allowed to move about the jail freely for much of the day rather than be confined to his cell.
On Oct. 9, Sutherland pleaded no contest to driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal California limit of 0.08 percent and subsequently accepted the fact that he'd have to serve some time. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a charge of driving under the influence.
Sutherland was on probation stemming from a 2004 DUI conviction when he was pulled over Sept. 25 after leaving a Fox-hosted event.
Eschewing the tardiness favored by many of his fellow celebs, Sutherland arrived 15 minutes early for his Wednesday afternoon hearing, during which he was also sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to enroll in an 18-month alcohol education class and attend weekly AA sessions for six months. He must fork over a $510 fine, as well. (View the minute order from the court hearing.)
Sutherland had no comment as he was leaving the courthouse, but he voiced his remorse earlier this year, saying in a statement: "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. I appreciate the support and concern that has been extended to me these last weeks both personally and professionally."
While it was originally the 24 producers' intention to shoot around the star's incarceration, it currently isn't an issue thanks to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. Fox has postponed the premiere of 24's sixth season because only a handful of episodes were ready before the writers walked out, and it will wait until a "whole day" is ready to unfold on a weekly basis.
(Originally published Dec. 5, 2007 at 4:43 p.m. PT.)