The O.C.

Mischa Barton, who soared to stardom as Marissa Cooper on The O.C., pleaded no contest to drunken driving charges and was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation in a Beverly Hills courtroom last Thursday.

As a result of the plea deal, Barton's jail time was spared and the marijuana possession charge was dropped, while the charge of driving without a license was reduced to an infraction.

The DUI case stemmed from last December's arrest in which Barton was originally charged on four misdemeanor counts.  On December 27, she was pulled over in West Hollywood when she was seen weaving between lanes and then making a turn without signaling.  At the time, she was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of illegal narcotics and driving without a valid license.

The O.C. actress did not attend the hearing.  But her attorney, Anthony V. Salerno, was there on her behalf.

"The DAs were very fair in handling this case," Salerno said outside the courtroom.  "Mischa's glad the case has been resolved."

"Ms. Barton understands the seriousness of this situation and assumes full responsibility for her actions," Barton's lawyer added.  "She and I are grateful to the Court and the District Attorney's Office for the prompt and respectful resolution of the case."

Earlier this year, Barton guest starred on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show in which she took full responsibly for her actions.

"Obviously I'm 100 percent responsible for my actions in this case.  I'm really disappointed in myself.  I don't know what to say about it, except that I'm not perfect, and I just don't ever intend to do something this stupid again" The O.C. actress said at the time.

Barton, 22, will have to pay a fine of approximately $2,000 and will have to complete three months of alcohol education classes.



-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Zap2it.com
(Image courtesy of the Associated Press)