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California Won't Let Sierra Enter For Rehabilitation

Tribune photo by JAY NOLAN

Jessica Sierra waves to the media as she is led away by her father, Joe Sierra, from the Falkenburg Road Jail this morning.

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

Updated: 01/09/2008 03:48 pm

BRANDON - Former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra won't leave for rehabilitation in California today after all, Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said.

   Jessica Sierra

Sierra walked out of Falkenburg Road Jail this morning. She was expected to meet with her probation officer and be taken to Tampa International Airport by her father to fly to California.

The recovery center is prepared to admit her, but the California Department of Probation will not accept her transfer on an emergency basis, Bondi said. The department will consider a transfer on a non-emergency basis, which could take up to 45 days.

Sierra instead must appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Thursday so the issue can be addressed.

Sierra didn't learn she had been denied treatment in California until after her release from jail, Bondi said. Sierra never got on an airplane. She was instructed to go to her family's home in Tampa, Bondi said.

This morning, Sierra smiled, waved to the media gathered outside the jail and said she was excited to get out and go to rehab.

Sierra had been in jail since Dec. 1, when she was arrested in Ybor City on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence. The arrest came after her taping of the VH1 series "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew."

The arrest also constituted a violation of Sierra's probation. She was arrested in a separate incident in April at a Hyde Park nightclub and charged with felonies for throwing a glass at a patron and possessing cocaine.

Circuit Judge Daniel Perry agreed Monday to send Sierra for a yearlong stint at an in-house drug treatment facility in California, then three years of probation. Drew Pinsky, host of the VH1 show, appeared in court on Sierra's behalf.

Pinsky, a physician and addiction specialist, told the judge he treated Sierra during the three weeks they taped the show.

"She needs at least a year," Pinsky said Monday. "My opinion is, after that year, her prognosis would be reasonably good."

Treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center would have included psychiatric care, medical care and 24-hour supervision. The facility would have paid the cost of her care, estimated to be in "six figures," her attorney, John Fitzgibbons, said earlier this week.

Speaking with the media today moments after being released, Sierra thanked Pinsky and Fitzgibbons.

When asked about her pregnancy, Sierra quickly walked away, got in her family's Hummer and rode off.

TBO.com producer Daniela Velázquez and reporter Thomas Krause contributed to this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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