Lindsay Lohan misses "Ellen" but on track for judge

By Alan Duke, CNN

December 14, 2011

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Lindsay Lohan missed her flight back home from a Hawaiian vacation, but she will be back in Los Angeles in time for an important court appearance Wednesday, her spokesman said Tuesday.

Los Angeles County Judge Stephanie Sautner ordered Lohan to appear in court so she can determine whether the actress is keeping up with her probation provisions, including the requirement that she work at least 12 days a month at the county morgue.

"Lindsay was delayed in Hawaii due to a travel-related issue," Lohan spokesman Steve Honig said. "She will be heading back this evening in time to appear in court tomorrow."

The missed flight, however, forced the cancellation of Lohan's interview with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, which was set to be taped Tuesday.

"Lindsay offered to tape 'Ellen' tomorrow, but the show was unable to shift things around, and tomorrow is their last day of taping for the season," Honig said.

The "Ellen" interview was to be Lohan's only planned appearance to promote her just-published Playboy magazine photo spread.

There is no indication that Lohan, 25, will have any difficulty in court Wednesday, compared with many of her numerous appearances in the past two years.

Sautner sentenced Lohan to 30 days in jail last month after she admitted that she violated her probation on a necklace theft conviction, but the sheriff sent her home after a few hours because of jail overcrowding.

The judge also ordered the actress to work at least 12 days a month at the Los Angeles County morgue until she completes the 53 remaining days on her court-ordered community service. She must also attend 18 psychotherapy sessions.

If the actress stays on track, her probation would be eased March 29, Sautner said. If she doesn't keep up with the requirements, she will serve the additional 270 days behind bars, the judge said.

"This is what we really call putting the keys to the jail in the defendant's hands," Sautner told Lohan.

When Sautner sentenced Lohan to 120 days in jail in May, she ended up serving 35 days of home confinement instead, because of jail overcrowding and state rules that give prisoners credit for good behavior.

Prosecutors said Lohan missed 12 of 20 scheduled workdays at a downtown Los Angeles women's center, part of the court-ordered community service imposed in May when she pleaded guilty to stealing a necklace from a Venice, California, jewelry store.

Lohan, 25, was already on probation for two drunken driving convictions from 2007.

She also canceled 14 of 19 scheduled appointments for court-ordered psychotherapy, they said.

"From what I see of you, you need a structure," Sautner told Lohan last month, instructing her to return to court each month, starting December 14, to show she is complying with the schedule.

Lindsay Lohan's legal woes, which began four years ago with two drunken driving arrests, have been compounded by her failure to attend counseling classes, and alcohol and drug test failures.

Her probation is scheduled to end within a year unless Lohan breaks any laws before then. It has been extended several times because of violations, including the failed alcohol and drug tests.