Lindsay Lohan appeared in court this morning to go before the judge, again, for the ongoing case of felony grand theft brought against her. L. Lo, in a plunging neckline, showed to court and was in and out relatively quickly. The District Attorney arguing the case against Lindsay has offered a plea bargain to settle the case but because any bargain on the table would require jailtime, Lindsay refuses to take the deal. As a result, the case will go to trial and this saga of the stolen necklace will continue.

Lindsay Lohan just got the word from the judge — if she accepts a plea bargain, she WILL go to jail. TMZ broke the story this morning … the judge will throw Lindsay in jail if she accepts a plea bargain. Judge Keith Schwartz told the famous defendant bluntly, “I don’t care that you’re Lindsay Lohan.” Judge Schwartz did not say how much jail time Lindsay would do if she cops a plea. And, Judge Schwartz wants a psychological evaluation that will help him understand what makes Lindsay tick and what particular sentence is appropriate. The judge explained … if Lindsay pleads guilty or no contest, it will be an automatic admission she violated her probation. And the judge announced what TMZ first reported … Deputy D.A. Danette Meyers made a formal offer to settle the case. Lindsay’s lawyer, Shawn Holley, will noodle over the offer before deciding, but the judge indicated Lindsay’s probably not going to accept the D.A.’s offer. As we reported, Meyers wants significant jail time. If Lindsay doesn’t accept a plea, she’ll stand trial and if she’s found guilty she could get 1 year in state prison. Lindsay is back in court on March 10. She has the option of pleading guilty and basically throwing herself at the court’s mercy.

It’s looking more and more like Lindsay will be going back to jail at some point. The only way she can avoid jail, I think, is if she is able to convince the court that she did NOT steal the necklace by winning her case. If she takes any plea bargain, she is going to jail. If she loses her case, she is REALLY going to jail. But, Lindsay seems hellbent on proving that she didn’t steal the necklace so … onward goes the case. She does have the option of changing her mind between now and March 10 (the date of her next court hearing) but it sounds like she wants no part of any deal that means she will have to go back to jail.

As for the circus earlier today, I was very surprised to see that Michael Lohan was at court considering he was just in Florida yesterday. Lohan flew in (where he was counseling rehabbing teens, if you can believe it) this morning so that he could attend the hearing in support of his daughter:

If there are lights, cameras and microphones, you better believe Michael Lohan can’t be far away. But, getting back to Lindsay … today’s court hearing was pretty in-and-out. Her next court date should be more significant. If she totally refuses to plea bargain and/or plead guilty, she is going to trial! And another Lohan courtroom saga will commence.

UPDATE: Oh yeah, it’s really sounding like Lindsay will be going back to jail sometime soon. It turns out that the District Attorney’s plea bargain deal involves 6 months of jail! Now we know why Lindsay is adamantly refusing to take the deal. And, even if she does go to trial and is found not guilty, she’ll still have to be punished for violating her probation … which means jail:

Sources connected with the Lindsay Lohan case tell TMZ … the offer Deputy D.A. Danette Meyers made to Lindsay’s lawyer in chambers was SIX MONTHS in jail. Judge Keith Schwartz said in open court he had a feeling Shawn Holley would pass on the D.A.’s offer. That’s because Lindsay will not accept jail time — at least not now. But here’s why we’re almost positive Lindsay will eventually cop a plea. She is going to jail no matter what. The judge ruled Lindsay’s preliminary hearing and probation violation case will be heard at the same time. At the end of the preliminary hearing, if the judge feels it’s more likely than not that she stole the necklace, Lindsay will be thrown in jail immediately while she awaits trial on the grand theft case. So even if Lindsay is ultimately found not guilty at trial, she’ll still be in jail for the probation violation. Short story … it’s likely Holley will plead guilty or no contest on behalf of her client, and then hope the judge gives Lindsay less than 6 months.

Homegirl is screwed. It’s unlikely she’ll get 6 months in jail but, yeah, she’s very likely going back to the pokey for at least some sentence of time. Dang.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source, Source]