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Merrick Native Lohan Pleads Not Guilty To Grand Theft

NEW YORK -- (CBSNewYork/AP)--Long Island's own Lindsay Lohan is in trouble with the law... again.

Lohan pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony grand theft of a $2,500 necklace. She is due back in court on Feb. 23.

Related Photos: Lindsay Lohan's Probation Hearing | Celebrity Mugshots

The 24-year-old actress arrived at Los Angeles Superior court shortly after 4 p.m. for her arraignment. She was wearing a tight white dress and looked like she was walking the red carpet as opposed to heading into court, according to 1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan. 

1010 WINS Reporter Terry Sheridan on Lindsay Lohan's court appearance and the judge's tongue-lashing.

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She entered the plea through her attorney Shawn Chapman Holley after a judge scolded her about following the law.

"Look around this room,'' Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz told Lohan. "Everybody else has to follow the law. You're no different than anyone else. So please, don't push your luck.''

Schwartz set bail at $40,000 and revoked her probation saying it appeared Lohan had violated her probation in a 2007 drunken driving case, and warned that if she violated the law while free on bail he would have her arrested and held.

Lohan spoke little during the hearing except to acknowledge her name and that she understood the charge and the possible consequences.

According to several online reports, Lohan prepared for today's court hearing by getting her hair done in an LA salon on Tuesday.

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The charge is the latest legal problem for the starlet, who remains on probation for a 2007 drunken driving case.

Police began investigating Lohan for the theft after a store in the beachside community of Venice reported it missing on Jan. 22 -- only weeks after she was out of rehab.

According to a TMZ.com report Wednesday, the DA's office "heavily considered three incidents where Lindsay allegedly pilfered expensive items" in the past.

Lohan is suspected of taking a $400,000 necklace in 2009 from a magazine photo shoot, a $12,000 mink coat in 2008 from a New York nightclub and a $35,000 Rolex from a "friend" in 2010, TMZ reported.

In December, Lohan was under investigation for an alleged misdemeanor battery against a female staffer at the Betty Ford Clinic where the actress was receiving treatment. Lohan's stint at Betty Ford is her fifth stay in rehab and her second in 2010. Prosecutors in Riverside County are considering whether to charge the actress with battery in the incident.

The worker was fired after giving an on-camera interview to TMZ, but district attorney's spokesman John Hall has said the allegation against Lohan was under review.

The threat of incarceration has hung over Lohan since May, when a judge handling her DUI case determined she violated her probation by missing weekly alcohol education classes.

Her three stints in jail in the past three years have all been shortened by overcrowding and the fact that she could not be held without bail on a misdemeanor.

1010 WINS Reporter Terry Sheridan spoke with New Yorkers who are tired of Lindsay's antics in the news

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Should Lohan go back to jail? Should she be ordered to undergo treatment? Comment below!

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press

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