Actress Lohan charged with drug possession

LOS ANGELES, Aug 23 (Reuters) California officials today charged Lindsay Lohan with cocaine possession and drunken driving, but she avoided more serious drug charges that could have earned the troubled actress a tougher punishment.

Lohan, 21, was arrested in May after wrecking her car in Beverly Hills, and again in July following a car chase in the Los Angeles area community of Santa Monica.

In both cases, Lohan possessed cocaine, but the amounts were below the .05 grams required for more serious felony charges of drug possession, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said in a statement.

The actress, who is in a rehab clinic in Utah, has been charged with seven misdemeanor counts, including driving under the influence, driving with a blood alcohol level over the limit of .08 per cent, being under the influence of cocaine and reckless driving.

A spokeswoman for the District Attorney declined to comment on whether Lohan would face jail time. Her arraignment is scheduled tomorrow.

Lohan's attorney is expected to meet with law enforcement officials and a judge today afternoon, and a settlement could be reached before Lohan's arraignment, the District Attorney's office said in its statement.

Lohan, who did two previous stints in rehab clinics earlier this year, is one of several young celebrities, including Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, who have faced legal troubles in recent months.

In May, the actress was arrested in Beverly Hills after crashing her Mercedes Benz into a tree, then leaving the scene to seek medical treatment. She admitted to being the car's driver and was found to be in possession of a substance that was found to be .04 grams of cocaine, officials said.

In July, the actress was arrested in Santa Monica, California, after an early morning car chase in which she was pursuing the mother of her former personal assistant.

The woman she was chasing led Lohan's car to the Santa Monica Police Department parking lot, where the actress was arrested. She was found to be in possession of .02 grams of cocaine, officials said.

Lohan rose to fame as a teenager in Disney films like ''Freaky Friday,'' but last year her hard-partying ways got her into trouble when the producer of ''Georgia Rule'' admonished her for showing up late after partying.

''Georgia Rule,'' in which she portrayed a troubled teenager, proved to be a box office disappointment and last month's movie, ''I Know Who Killed Me,'' bombed.

REUTERS AK BST0245