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Judge Tries To Expedite Sierra's Return To California

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Jessica Sierra talks with her lawyer John Fitzgibbons, left, before her hearing this morning.

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By THOMAS W.  KRAUSE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 10, 2008

Updated: 03/10/2008 12:05 pm

TAMPA - "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra, now 99 days sober, was back in a Tampa courtroom this morning, still trying to clear up a bureaucratic mess.

Sierra has been receiving court-ordered drug treatment in California but, her attorney says, California probation officials have been upset that she did not go through proper channels to relocate. Several weeks ago, California probation officials told Sierra she had to return to Florida, apply for California probation status, wait for acceptance and then return to California.

To simplify things, Judge Daniel Perry kept her on Florida probation and said she could write in monthly to her probation officer here instead of meeting with someone in person. Last week, California officials said that wasn't good enough, said Sierra's attorney, John Fitzgibbons.

Sierra, therefore, had to fly back to Tampa, the city where she has had repeated skirmishes in the nightclub scene and repeated brushes with the law.

She was accompanied by a chaperone, Shirley Bennett, the director of residential programs for her at the Pasadena Recovery Center. Sierra and Bennett are staying in a hotel together, Fitzgibbons said.

In court today, Perry said he would help expedite Sierra's return to California by asking Florida probation officials in Tallahassee to send an e-mail to probation officials in Sacramento, Calif. Fitzgibbons said the paperwork could be completed within a couple of days.

Sierra, Fitzgibbons told the judge, has a return flight to California scheduled for Friday.

Gail Reddick of the Florida Department of Corrections told the judge that even an expedited application process could take seven to 45 days, and there are no guarantees California will accept her.

Perry scheduled a status hearing for Sierra on Friday morning, hoping things will be resolved by then so she can return to California.

Sierra was ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation after she was arrested late last year in Ybor City for misdemeanor disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence. The arrest came after Sierra's taping of the VH1 reality series "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew."

The charges also constituted a violation of Sierra's probation. She was previously arrested in a separate incident at a Hyde Park nightclub, where she was charged with a felony for throwing a glass at another patron.

After court today, Fitzgibbons said he hopes the matter will be resolved quickly.

"I'm guardedly optimistic we are going to resolve this," he said. "Right now, it's just red tape and bureaucracy."

Sierra's grandmother, Betty Sierra, said her family is happy with the singer's progress in treatment.

"We're focused on her recovery," she said.

She also said she plans to cook her granddaughter a spaghetti dinner while she's in town.

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

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