DA: Lindsay Lohan to be charged in necklace theft
Actress Lindsay Lohan attends the Giuseppe Zanotti Design Beverly Hills Store Opening held at BOA Sunset on Feb. 4, 2011 in West Hollywood, California. Credit: Getty Images
Los Angeles County prosecutors said they plan to file charges Wednesday against Lindsay Lohan for allegedly stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Venice, Calif., jewelry store.
The felony grand theft charge will be the most serious faced by the actress, who over the last two years has made headlines for court appearances and stints in rehab.
Lohan, 24, currently is on probation and faces a criminal investigation in Riverside County involving allegations that she shoved a worker at the Betty Ford Center.
Lohan did not immediately comment on the latest charge, but her attorney released a statement over the weekend that the actress would fight any criminal charges.
“We vehemently deny these allegations,” the statement said. If charges are filed, “We will fight them in court, not in the press.” Last week, Los Angeles police detectives presented the results of their investigation into the alleged theft to prosecutors.
Detectives investigated whether Lohan stole a “one-of-a-kind” necklace that went missing last month from a Venice jewelry store not far from where she lives.
The piece, described as a gold necklace with semiprecious stones, disappeared Jan. 22 from the store and police began investigating a few days later. According to law enforcement sources, Lohan was seen in a store security video wearing the necklace before it was reported missing.
After detectives began looking into the case and preparing a search warrant, a Lohan associate took the necklace to the Pacific Division police station, sources said. Lohan could face grand theft and second-degree commercial burglary charges if evidence supports that the necklace was stolen, prosecutors said.
In the Riverside County case, Lohan is under investigation for allegedly assaulting an employee at the Betty Ford Center.
Lohan spent three months at the center in Rancho Mirage under orders from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox, who spared the actress jail time in October after Lohan tested positive for drugs while on probation in a drunken driving case.
The judge directed her to stay at the center through January and warned that he would put her in jail for six months if she violated probation again. It was her fifth time in rehab, and she has been to jail three times in connection with the case.
The employee accused Lohan of shoving her but then told investigators she did not want to press charges.
