Sierra Granted Travel Permit For Treatment In California

TAMPA - A Hillsborough County Circuit Court judge granted former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra a travel permit for up to 45 days so she can get treatment in California.

If California officials do not allow her to stay there, she will have to come back, Judge Daniel Perry said.

After being released from jail Wednesday, Sierra spoke with reporters. The conversation came after Perry told her he didn't want to see her giving interviews or appearing on television. Today, he said he was not happy with her and ordered her to stay at least 100 yards away from microphones and cameras.

   Jessica Sierra

He also said he heard she had a picture taken with a fan Wednesday.

Microphones are a magnet for Sierra, he said.

"You are not a celebrity; you are a drug addict," he said.

Sierra walked out of Falkenburg Road Jail on Wednesday expecting to meet with her probation officer and be taken to Tampa International Airport by her father to fly to California.

Although the recovery center is prepared to admit her, the California Department of Probation will not accept her transfer on an emergency basis, said Hillsborough County Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi. The department will consider a transfer on a nonemergency basis, which could take 45 days.

Sierra did not learn she had been denied treatment in California until after her release from jail, Bondi said. She then was instructed to go to her family's home in Tampa, Bondi said.

Wednesday morning, Sierra smiled and waved to the media gathered outside the jail. She said was excited to get out and go to rehab and that she wanted to thank her attorney and Dr. Drew Pinsky, who testified for her Monday.

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

Perry agreed Monday to send Sierra for a yearlong stint at an in-house drug treatment center in California, to be followed by three years of probation.

In court today, Perry asked about Sierra's pregnancy.

Her attorney, John Fitzgibbons, said the pregnancy would not matter to the treatment center. "Their professionals know how to handle this," Fitzgibbons said. "It's not unusual for them."

Perry also questioned whether Sierra consumed alcohol or took drugs while out of jail Wednesday.

Sierra said she had not.

Treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center would include psychiatric care, medical care and 24-hour supervision, Fitzgibbons said.

"There's no place around here like this place," he told Perry today. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime for her."