Into the jail. Actor Emile Hirsch pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on Monday, Aug. 17, and was sentenced to 15 days in jail for putting a female movie executive into a chokehold during Sundance Film Festival this past January.
According to the Associated Press, Hirsch, 30, avoided a max stint of five years behind bars by entering a plea deal with prosecutors. His punishment includes 15 days in jail, 50 hours of community service, and $4,750 in fines.
Once the Into the Wild actor completes his sentence, the charge will be dismissed.
The incident stemmed from Jan. 25, when Hirsch was accused of putting Daniele Bernfeld, an exec for Paramount Pictures subsidiary Insurge Pictures into a chokehold outside of Tao in Park City, Utah. At the time, Hirsch claimed self-defense, while records showed that the actor dragged Bernfeld across a table and body slammed her to the floor. Bernfield described the incident as "insanely painful and absolutely terrifying" in documents obtained by the AP.
Hirsch's lawyer, meanwhile, claimed that the Encino, Calif., native, had "consumed an enormous amount of alcohol on the evening in question and he has no memory of what happened." Hirsch subsequently checked into an alcohol rehab facility in February.
During his court appearance on Monday, Hirsch reiterated that he had no recollection of what took place during the time of the assault. His lawyer also claimed that the Girl Next Door actor has remained sober since his rehab stint.
Bernfeld's attorney said in a statement to the AP that she was not pleased with the plea deal. "It took two people to pull him off me, and if not for their intervention, the attack would have continued," the film exec told the AP. "I thought I was going to die."
