Lindsay Lohan released on $75,000 bail In Necklace Case.
By SHEILA MARIKAR (@SheilaYM) , JASON NATHANSON, and RYAN CREED April 23, 2011
Lindsay Lohan out of jail after being released on $75,000 bail while she appeals a judge's 120-day jail sentence for violating her probation by taking a designer necklace.
Lohan's attorney, Shawn Holley, filed a notice of appeal before court closed, which allowed for the actress' release at 9:21 p.m. Lohan previously has been jailed three times.
In addition to jail, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner ordered Lohan to serve more than 400 hours of community service, which would include 300 hours at a women's center.
"Perhaps then she might see how truly needy women who have fallen on truly hard times have to live," said Sautner.
Lohan's attorney, Shawn Holley, filed a notice of appeal before court closed, which allowed for the actress' release at 9:21 p.m. Lohan previously has been jailed three times.
The misdemeanor has a potential penalty of a year in jail, whereas the original felony charge had a potential penalty of three years in jail.
In making her ruling to reduce the charges, Sautner said, "I'm going to give her an opportunity."
Lohan's Charges Reduced to Misdemeanor
Earlier on Friday, Sautner reduced Lohan's grand theft case regarding the necklace she allegedly stole on Jan. 22 to a misdemeanor. Lohan pleaded not guilty to that misdemeanor charge.
Sautner set a trial date on the misdemeanor charge for June 3 and a pretrail date for May 11.
The decision came after Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers concluded her case against Lohan after calling four witnesses, including the owner of Kamofie and Co., the store from which Lohan allegedly stole the necklace, an employee of the store, and two police officers who handled Lohan's case.
Holley had asked Sautner to dismiss the charge altogether, saying "This is not a stealth, crafty crime."
As Holley spoke, Lohan started tearing up, and a bailiff gave her tissues.
During the hearing, Kamofie and Co. owner Sofia Kaman revealed that the necklace Lohan is accused of stealing cost far less than its $2,500 price tag. She said she paid $850 for the necklace.
Asked by prosecutor Danette Meyers why the necklace was marked up to $2,500, Kaman said it's common to mark up jewelry two to three times what the manufacturer charges.
Things got contentious when Lohan's lawyer, Holley, questioned Kaman and the issue of Lohan's cleavage came up several times. Holley tried to establish if Kaman was paying attention to Lohan's chest while Lohan was in the store and if Kaman should have noticed Lohan walking out with the necklace.
At one point, the tone of the questioning prompted Sautner to tell Holley and Kaman to be more respectful.
Before Kaman, Tinelli Comsookri, a salesperson at Kamofie and Co, said that Lohan tried on a pair of $1,180 earrings four days prior to the necklace incident and tried to walk out of the store wearing one of the earrings. Comsookri said that when he stopped Lohan, she apologized and gave back the piece of jewelry.
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