Lindsay Lohan Rejects Plea Deal, Faces Trial

March 24, 2011— -- Lindsay Lohan will take her chances in court.

The actress rejected a plea deal Wednesday related to felony charges that she stole a $2,500 necklace from a Los Angeles jewelry store, planning instead to plead her case at trial.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz offered Lohan a plea deal earlier this month but was clear it would include jail time.

"But if the case settles here, I don't want you under any apprehension, you will be going to jail. Period," Schwartz told Lohan, 24, at a court appearance on Feb. 23.

The details of the plea deal were not disclosed but it likely would have only required a short stint in jail. She now faces the possibility of going to California state prison for as long as three years, if convicted on felony grand theft charges.

"She's really rolling the dice here because she has a locked-in guaranteed good deal," legal analyst Robin Sax said. "She has a set limited amount of time under 60 days in county jail."

But Lohan says she won't admit to something she didn't do and insists the jewelry store, Kamofie & Co., let her borrow the necklace and her assistant returned it to police.

"Ms. Lohan has maintained her innocence from the moment this case was filed and she has never wavered," Lohan's attorney Shawn Holley wrote in a statement released after the plea dea was rejected.

"Though many advised her to follow the safe route by taking 'the deal,' the truth is, Ms. Lohan is innocent; she has a strong defense; and we are confident that a jury will listen to the evidence fairly and acquit her," Holley wrote.

Now that Lohan has rejected the plea deal, she'll be required to appear for a preliminary hearing April 22 to determine whether there is evidence for her to stand trial.

Lohan has already been to jail three times in the past three years for DUI, drug possession and probation violations.

Lindsay Lohan Been Here Before

It's not the first time the star has been connected to a theft investigation.

In 2009, British police investigated the disappearance of $400,000 worth of Dior jewels from a photo shoot Lohan did with Britain's Elle magazine. At the time, Elle released a statement exonerating Lohan, saying, "Elle has no reason to believe that Lindsay Lohan was in any way responsible."

In 2008, Lohan was sued by a college student who claimed the actress stole and wore her $12,000 mink coat.

In April 2010, Lohan was questioned by police in connection with a stolen $35,000 Rolex. The person who filed the report withdrew her complaint before police could determine whether a crime had been committed.

Earlier this year ,Tanning Vegas filed a lawsuit against Lohan claiming that she owed the company more than $41,000 in unpaid tanning fees she racked up between 2007 and 2009. In 2009, the same company accused Lohan of stealing its formula for a spray tanning product she sold under her Sevin Nyne label.

In December, Lohan came under investigation for allegedly assaulting a staffer at the Betty Ford Clinic, where she carried out her most recent round of rehab.

Lohan lost her most high-profile job of late in November. She was slated to star in the biopic of porn star Linda Lovelace, but because of her recent troubles, the film's director switched her out for "Watchmen" actress Malin Akerman.

Lohan butted heads with E-Trade in 2010. She sued the financial services company for $100 million for a talking baby commercial that, according to her, made a mockery of her personality. The two settled in September for an undisclosed amount.

2010 Not a Good Year for Lohan

Last year wasn't exactly a banner one for Lohan. In September, she tested positive for drugs and had her second prison stint before beginning rehab at Betty Ford. She also spent part of the summer in a separate rehab program.

She also spent 14 days in prison. In July 2010, she received a 90-day sentence for violating her 2007 probation.

Lohan's Legal Run-Ins

This was after she missed a May probation hearing because, according to her, someone stole her passport while she was at the Cannes Film Festival. Lohan was spotted partying in France prior to coming back to Los Angeles, where a warrant was issued for her arrest.

She escaped jail time but was ordered to attend weekly alcohol education classes and wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet.

In 2007, she was arrested for two DUIs, one of which ended with police finding cocaine in her pocket. That year's infractions led to 84 minutes of jail time, multiple stints in rehab and a probation sentence with which Lohan still grapples nearly four years later.

ABC News' Barbara Garcia contributed to this report.