Troubled Lindsay Lohan arrested for drunk-driving again

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Lindsay Lohan was busted for drunk driving and drug possession on Tuesday, just days after completing an alcohol treatment program following her arrest in May for similar charges, police said.

The 21-year-old Hollywood star of "Georgia Rule" and "Herbie Fully Loaded" was pulled over by officers in Santa Monica early Tuesday and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Lohan -- who has been voluntarily wearing an alcohol monitoring anklet since completing rehab on July 13 -- was released after posting 25,000 dollars bail, police added.

Lieutenant Alex Padilla told a news briefing Lohan was arrested after being involved in a high-speed chase with the mother of her personal assistant.

"She was chasing after another car," Padilla said. "The other car was being driven by the mother of her personal assistant, who had just quit her job earlier ... probably about a couple of hours before the incident occurred.

"She was trying to catch the mother of her personal assistant. Why she was trying to catch her, we don't know," describing the woman being chased by Lohan as "afraid."

Police searched Lohan after she was taken into custody and found a small amount of cocaine in her possession, Padilla said. She was later charged with drug possession.

Padilla that Lohan's blood alcohol level was between 0.12 and 0.13, well above California's legal limit of 0.08.

Lohan's representative Leslie Sloane declined to comment on the arrest but a statement from the actress's lawyers said she was undergoing treatment at a medical facility Tuesday.

"Addiction is a terrible and vicious disease," said lawyer Blair Berk, adding that she had been made aware Lohan suffered a relapse late on Monday but was now "safe, out of custody and receiving medical care."

Lohan's mother, Dina, meanwhile told syndicated entertainment news program The Insider: "We are doing everything in our power in support of Lindsay and I won't give up -- this is my daughter and we love her."

Celebrity news website TMZ.com reported that Lohan had returned to a rehabilition center and had cancelled a scheduled appearance on "The Tonight Show" to promote her new film, which is released on Friday.

Lohan, who starred in the 1998 film "The Parent Trap" and 2003's "Freaky Friday", was arrested in May after crashing her Mercedes in Beverly Hills. She was held on suspicion of drunk driving and of possession of illegal drugs.

Lohan is due to appear in court August 24 to face those charges.
Tuesday's arrest is the latest twist to hit Lohan, who has steadily become more famous as a paparazzi target rather than her work in movies.

She was arrested on May 26 after smashing her black Mercedes into a curb in Beverly Hills before later being charged with driving under the influence.

Within days, Lohan had enrolled in a detox program at the Promises rehabilitation center in Malibu.

It was her second stint in rehab of 2007; she was admitted for treatment in January after reportedly being discovered passed out in a hotel corridor following the Golden Globes awards.

Twenty-four hours of completing her latest spell in rehab however she was seen partying at famous Las Vegas nightclub Pure.

Lohan's party-going lifestyle has been a source of constant tension in her professional life.

During filming of "Georgia Rule" last year, studio boss James G. Robinson took the unusual step of releasing a public letter to the actress criticizing her conduct after she complained of "heat exhaustion."

"You have acted like a spoiled child and in so doing have alienated many of your co-workers and endangered the quality of this picture," Robinson fumed.