He can save the world in 24 hours, but can Kiefer Sutherland jail for 48 days? Sutherland, who was on probation for a 2004 DUI at the time of his September 25th arrest for driving under the influence has reached a plea agreement with the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. Per the agreement Sutherland will serve 30 days for his DUI and 18 days for his probation violation.
I spoke to Lawrence Taylor, one of the nation's most prominent DUI attorneys and author of duiblog.com today and he informed me the sentence was right on target with what was expected. He did, however, bring to my attention an added wrinkle that makes the case more interesting than your standard celebrity DUI.
The original judge, Michael T. Sauer, who presided over the Paris Hilton trial and ordered her back to jail after her early release resulted in a public outcry, is currently on vacation. Employing a clever legal strategy, Sutherland's attorney's quickly plead no contest, hoping to be sentenced prior to Sauer's return.
As a result, the plea agreement will be subject to Sauer's interim replacement, Stuart M. Rice's approval, avoiding any of the complications that could arise from the second high profile DUI case under Sauer's. The only obstacle could be if Rice decides he wants to avoid the case and continues the case to a date after Sauer's return, ridding himself of a surefire media storm.
Sentencing is set for December 21st in Los Angeles Superior Court. If the agreement is rejected, Sutherland could face up to one year in jail.
