Kiefer Sutherland to Serve 48 Days in Jail

The latest in a string of celebrity jail sentences is that of 24 star Kiefer Sutherland, who was arrested in the early morning hours on September 25 for DUI in Los Angeles. Sutherland pleaded no contest via his attorney Blair Berk and the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office will recommend that the actor serve 48 days in jail. The actor is scheduled to appear for sentencing on December 21 (while the show is on Christmas break) and will serve 18 days for the charge of violating probation. Sutherland will then have to serve an additional 30 days for the DUI charge, which will have to be served no later than July 1, 2008. In addition to serving 48 days in jail, Sutherland will be placed on probation for 60 months, his driver's license has been revoked and he will need to complete an alcohol education program. TMZ.com posted a copy of the official document showing the sentence recommendations made to the court by the City Attorney's office.

The Good News: Sutherland's sentence will not affect production on Fox's 24.

The Bad News: Sutherland will appear before L.A. Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer, the same Judge involved in the whole Paris Hilton incarceration circus.

Fox released the following statement to the press and fans:

"Today our friend Kiefer Sutherland resolved his criminal case at the earliest opportunity. Kiefer made clear to us at the time of his arrest that his first concern was the welfare of those he worked with and that he intended to do whatever was necessary to prevent shutting down the show because of his situation. He told us that even if he had to sacrifice more time in custody in order to protect the show and the jobs of those who work with him, he would do so. From what occurred today, it is evident he is a man of his word. We wish him well and look forward to a long relationship with him."

This latest DUI is the fourth for Sutherland. The other DUI's occurred in 1989, 1993 and 2004. Whether or not the actor will actually serve all 48 days remains to be seen, but he may very well get time served for good behavior as is common in California for these types of offenses.
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