Lindsay Lohan's March 10 court appearance was short and sweet.
Arriving in a black town car with her mother, Dina, and her younger sister, Ali, the Mean Girls actress appeared before Judge Keith Schwartz to schedule a preliminary hearing for April 22 at 9:00 a.m. PST.
Schwartz is giving Lindsay another interim hearing on March 25 to accept a confidential offer for a plea deal; her attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, must notify the judge by March 23 whether she will plead guilty or no contest to the offer.
Should Lindsay decide not to accept Schwartz's offer, Judge Stephanie Sautner will preside over the preliminary hearing. See more shots of Lindsay in court.
"The only reason you'll be here is to plead guilty or no contest to the charge and accept the parameters of the court's offer," Schwartz informed Lindsay. "If you and your attorney decide not to settle this case before prelim, you do not have to appear on March 25."
Will Lindsay accept the deal? "Events are constantly evolving," her lawyer Holley told UsMagazine.com after the hearing. "It is a fluid process."
Holley added that she was "content" with the day's proceedings. "I'm pleased my motion was partially granted."
If the Herbie: Fully Loaded star forgoes Schwartz's plea deal, she will appear before Sautner on April 22, where the court will also determine if Lindsay violated her probation. If Sautner decides she has, Lindsay will spend time in jail as she awaits trial.
Lindsay was formally charged February 10 with one count of felony grand theft for allegedly swiping a $2,500 necklace from a Venice, Calif. jewelry store on January 22. The actress, whose probation for a 2007 DUI conviction was revoked, was released later that day after posting 10 percent of the $40,000 bail ordered by Schwartz.
The starlet's attorneys hoped to strike a plea deal without jail time when they appeared in a California courthouse February 23, but Schwartz shot down that possibility.
"I'm going to tell you, this case does involve jail time period," he warned the child star. "If this is resolved in front of me, you will be going to jail."
Schwartz went on to say that he would not treat the I Know Who Killed Me actress, 24, differently than any other defendant.
"I treat everybody the same," he said. "I don't care that you're Lindsay Lohan."
On March 9, Kamofie and Co. announced plans to auction off the necklace in question once the criminal case is resolved; they will donate the proceeds to an unnamed charity.
