America's Hero sent to Jail

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kiefer Sutherland, star of the hit television series "24," was formally sentenced on Wednesday to 48 days in jail for drunken driving, and his lawyer said the actor would begin doing time immediately.

Sutherland will serve the 48 days consecutively rather than in two separate stints as had been previously planned in order to prevent a conflict with the production schedule of the Fox network show.

Fox announced last month it was suspending production on the series due to the screenwriters' strike, so there was no longer any need for Sutherland to break up his jail term into two parts.
[Kudos FearTheReaper]

Sutherland, who turns 41 later this month, was arrested in September while still on probation for a 2004 drunken driving offense.

In October, he pleaded no contest -- the equivalent of a guilty plea -- to a single count of driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

Prosecutors agreed then to recommend he serve 30 days for the new offense plus 18 days for violating his probation in the 2004 case.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stuart Rice endorsed the plea deal and the sentence during a brief hearing attended by the actor on Wednesday. The judge gave Sutherland until March 30 to complete his jail term.

But Sutherland's lawyer, Blair Berk, told Reuters the performer decided to turn himself in on Wednesday evening to begin serving his sentence immediately. The celebrity Web site TMZ.com later reported the actor was being booked.

In addition, Sutherland was placed on five years' probation and fined $510, according to Assistant City Attorney Dan Jeffries, who said the actor also was ordered to enroll in an 18-month alcohol education-treatment program and to attend six months of weekly alcohol counseling sessions.

The Canadian performer, the son of screen star Donald Sutherland, won an Emmy Award last year for his role as the terrorist-fighting agent Jack Bauer on "24." The show averaged 13.5 million viewers last season.

Formus said:
Fuck Kiefer Sutherland.

Rafi said:

Seconded.

BlastProcessing said:
You're all going to disappear now. You know that, right.

Rafi said:

Ah, that's cool - I'm sure it'll all be for the noble purpose of saving the Homeland in some spectacular fashion, while at the same time providing valuable masturbatory material for torture aficionados.

MrStitches said:
Donald > Kiefer.

emotedcreations said:

That's not even a debate.

thefreak said:

Well, while I could give a shit about 24, the elder Sutherland was in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within...

-TM

RudieCantFail said:

He was also the original Hawkeye Pierce.

thefreak said:

Actually, neither of my comments were meant as a positive.

As for M.A.S.H....eh. I will, however, give him credit for Invasion of the Body Snatchers.



-TM

thefreak said:

Well, while I could give a shit about 24, the elder Sutherland was in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within...

-TM

MrStitches said:
Eh? EH?! What kind of monster doesn't think M*A*S*H is the best shit ever?

Dr_Zoidberg said:
TWO days for violating probation and for drunk driving?

Boy, I wish I was rich.




And Canadian.

Dr_Zoidberg said:
lol, don't see how I got two days out of that.

Still, 48 days is a Paris Hilton-like slap on the wrist.

thefreak said:

I blame lack of actually sitting down and watching it.

-TM