Actress Lindsay Lohan violated her probation Thursday by leaving a Newport Beach rehab facility where she was to begin 90 days of treatment in a reckless driving case, prosecutors said.
Mark Heller, Lohan's attorney, told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Dabney on Thursday morning that his client had already begun her therapy at the Morningside Recovery facility. Lohan arrived at the facility about 11 a.m.
Santa Monica City Prosecutor Terry White said he learned that Lohan spent just a few minutes at the Orange County rehab before leaving. Ms. Lohan is in violation of her probation, that much is clear, he said.
White said he did not know Lohan's whereabouts. Lohan had until Thursday to check into a rehabilitation facility or face being sent to jail.
Lohans lawyers could not be reached for comment.
During Thursday morning's hearing, prosecutor White objected to the last-minute change in rehab facilities, saying that he was not allowed to check out Morningside to see if it complied with the terms of the sentencing. Lohan was originally scheduled to check into a New York state recovery center.
"This is highly improper," White protested to Dabney, noting that he learned from the media that Lohan had chosen a different rehab facility.
But Heller said the facility fully complied with Dabney's sentencing requirement that the actress serve her 90 days in a place she could not leave.
During the hearing, Dabney cautioned that the rehab program must "fall within the parameters of the plea agreement."
"If we decide the program doesnt measure up to the plea agreement, she will have to move to a different program," Dabney said. The judge gave White a week to examine the facility and raise any objections.