Kiefer Sutherland: Christmas Behind Bars?

By Access HollywoodOctober 9, 2007, 5:37 pm PDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 9, 2007) Kiefer Sutherland is going to jail if the plea agreement his lawyers worked out earlier today with the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office on a DUI charge is accepted by a judge.

Sutherland, the star of Fox drama "24" was stopped by police after making an illegal U-Turn in West LA on the morning of September 25. Sutherland was arrested after he tested above .08 and released after posting $25,000 bail.

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Following the arrest, prosecutors told Access Hollywood, that the believed Kiefer's arrest constituted a probation violation for a 2004 DUI conviction.

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Honorable Stuart Rice, Site Judge of the LA Superior Court presided over a meeting between Sutherland's lawyers and prosecutors on Tuesday. As a result, a plea agreement was reached that would send the Canadian actor to jail for a total of 48 days.

In court papers obtained by Access Hollywood, the sentence recommendation asks a Judge to send Kiefer to jail for 18 days. He would begin serving the sentence on December 21, meaning his Christmas and New Year's Eve, would be behind bars.

Additionally, the plea agreement asks the judge to sentence the actor to an additional 30 days in jail or at "an acceptable City Jail facility."

Kiefer would not have to serve his sentences consecutively. Instead he would, according to the court documents, be able to leave jail after the first stint, which ends on January 7, 2008. He would have to return to jail or an acceptable City Jail facility for the additional 30 days, before July 1, 2008.

It was unclear from the court papers if Kiefer's jail schedule was directly related to his "24" shooting schedule.

In addition to the jail time, if the judge accepts the plea agreement, Kiefer will be placed on 60 months of probation and ordered to pay a $510 fine. He will also be required to complete an 18-month alcohol education program and attend six months of alcohol therapy sessions by August 1, 2008.

He also must refrain from driving until May 9, 2008.

The Judge will rule on the plea agreement December 21, 2007.

Sutherland issued a statement Tuesday evening.

"I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on '24' and at 20th Century Fox. I appreciate the support and concern that has been extended to me these last weeks both personally and professionally," his statement read.

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comments

  • mickey
    IT TAKES A REAL MAN TO ADMIT WHEN HE'S WRONG.
    report abuseposted December 31, 2007, 2:49 pm PST
  • Beyonce_Is_Me
    I love the movies "The Lost Boys" and "Stand By Me". I think his characters Ace Merrill and David would be disappointed if they saw what happened. I bet they would stand by him. I mean, he played them, and extremely well too!
    report abuseposted November 23, 2007, 9:09 pm PST
  • Goliath's mom
    There hasn't been a day that goes by that a celeb hasn't been on the news.However,Kiefer seems to be the only one honest enough to accept blame and willing to do what he has to.I think that it just adds to his charm. I've been a fan since Lost Boys and will contiue to be.
    report abuseposted November 1, 2007, 12:19 pm PDT
  • spunkylovebites
    Kiefer is a truly talented guy. It speaks volumes that he is willing to step up admit and face the concequences of his own actions. Hopefully one day he'll be able to find happiness in his life.
    report abuseposted October 13, 2007, 7:19 am PDT
  • Heather
    Its nice to see a celeb that is not above the law. He is getting what he deserves. Hopefully he will learn from this and won't do it again, he got lucky this time.... nobody got hurt.
    report abuseposted October 10, 2007, 7:46 pm PDT
  • Mónica L
    Can our super hero really go to jail?? Nooooooooooooooooo, I love Jack!!! I´d go to jail with him!!! lol
    report abuseposted October 10, 2007, 7:23 am PDT
  • nkiru u
    well its good he gets punished but the authorities shouldn't be too hard on him. he's my idol but he should be more careful lest he put other lives in danger.
    report abuseposted October 10, 2007, 7:21 am PDT
  • jack_hole_republican
    Maybe he can share a cell with the HOFF.
    report abuseposted October 9, 2007, 11:30 pm PDT
  • PumpkinHead
    What a good guy owning up to his mistakes. Wish more celebs were like this!
    report abuseposted October 9, 2007, 9:01 pm PDT
  • Charmaine Lake
    Oh no, I'll send him cookies in the shape of a 2 and 4.
    report abuseposted October 9, 2007, 6:07 pm PDT

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