Barton’s deal with D.A. already done

By Matthew B. Zeidman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 4/8/08 – Mischa Barton wasn’t lying when she told Ryan Seacrest’s radio listeners she would take responsibility for her actions. The repentant actress is planning to plead no contest Thursday to driving under the influence of alcohol, according to an anonymous source quoted by People magazine.

The publication reported on its Web site Monday afternoon that Barton had struck a deal with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office to avoid any time behind bars for the Dec. 27 incident, during which she allegedly drove drunk, without a license and while in possession of marijuana.

In exchange for pleading no contest, the marijuana charge will be dropped and the license charge will be reduced to a traffic violation. As punishment for the remaining alcohol-related charges, the British native will have to submit to a three-month alcohol education class, pay an approximately $1,700 fine and go on unsupervised probation for three years.

Barton, 22, is saving at least some face by pleading no contest, which is not considered an admission of guilt, but rather a decision not to dispute charges brought by the court. This is the thespian fashionista’s first major brush with the law and the only blemish on an otherwise positive public image, which includes acting as a spokeswoman for several domestic and international charities and advocacy organizations.

Barton is best known for her three-year run on Fox’s teen dramedy “The O.C.,” which she left voluntarily to pursue other projects. She recently made headlines for appearing nude in “Closing the Ring,” a World War II period film directed by Richard Attenborough, which made its debut at September’s Toronto Film Festival, but has yet to be scheduled for theatrical release in the United States.