American Idol Finalist Sentence to One Year Probation  11/21/07

Former American Idol finalist Jessica Sierra has been sentenced to 12 months' probation after pleading no contest to battery and drugs charges.

The 21-year-old, who made it to the final 10 in the 2005 series of the U.S. reality show, was accused of hitting a man with a heavy glass at a cafe in Tampa, Florida, in April (07). She was also charged with possession of cocaine.

But Sierra escaped a jail term for the offences when she appeared in a Tampa court on Monday (19Nov07), and was instead put on one year's probation. She will also be allowed to have the charge removed from her record once the probation period is up.

Sierra has been receiving treatment from a California rehabilitation clinic since July (07) as part of a VH1 reality show, and her attorney credits the TV opportunity for allowing the singer to clean up her lifestyle.

Lawyer John Fitzgibbons tells People.com, "She's done very well. The TV show did offer her the opportunity to participate in a drug treatment program and our feeling was, there was no downside to it.

"It's an excellent program, and she got help, and that can be very expensive in today's world. So it's kind of a win-win for her."

 

 

 

 

 

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