Locklear Pleads No Contest to Reckless Driving
Former 'Melrose Place' star was charged with driving under the influence.
Jan. 2, 2009— -- Heather Locklear pleaded no contest today to reckless driving and a charge of driving under the influence was dismissed, her lawyer said.
As part of a plea deal with Santa Barbara, Calif., prosecutors, Locklear, 47, was sentenced to three years informal probation, fined $700 and ordered to complete a 12-hour driving-safety class, Locklear's attorney, Blair Berk, said.
The former "Melrose Place" star was originally accused of driving under the influence of prescription medication after a celebrity news reporter called 911 and reported that Locklear was allegedly driving erratically.
The reporter, Jill Ishkanian, then took photographs of the actress' DUI arrest, Ishkanian's lawyer told ABCNews.com.
Ishkanian, a former reporter and editor at Us Weekly magazine, called police the night of Sept. 27, saying Locklear appeared intoxicated after what Ishkanian's lawyer, Nick Tepper, described as a chance encounter with Locklear in a Montecito, Calif., market.
Ishkanian then sold the photographs through an intermediary to the celebrity news site TMZ.com for $27,500, Tepper said in a written statement to ABCNews.com.
According to the California Highway Patrol, when officers responded to the scene, Locklear's car was obstructing the traffic lane and she "appeared to be disoriented."
Officers arrested Locklear after performing a DUI test, the state highway patrol said. "Although obvious impairment was exhibited during the tests, alcohol was ruled out as a factor," the highway patrol said.
Locklear was charged in November with driving under the influence.
