Fallen Idol Bound for Rehab

eonline.com

by Gina Serpe
Tue, 8 Jan 2008 02:28:19 PM PST

Jessica Sierra may not be the best endorsement of efficacy for the upcoming reality series Celebrity Detox with Dr. Drew, but the girl who's already the program's most infamous patient is getting one final go at a model recovery.

The trouble-plagued American Idol alum was sentenced Tuesday to a yearlong stint in an in-house California drug treatment facility, to be followed by three years' probation.

The sentence was handed down as a result of Sierra's arrest Dec. 1 for misdemeanor intoxication and resisting an officer without violence, an incident that transpired after the reality alum completed her televised tutelage under Loveline's Dr. Drew Pinsky.

Sierra has remained behind bars since the arrest, as the charges on which she was busted violated the terms of her already existing probation, which stemmed from a pair of felonies racked up last April for throwing a glass at a fellow bar patron and possessing cocaine.

Tampa Circuit Judge Daniel Perry issued the sober-up sentence to Sierra after a half-hour hearing, in which he cautioned the wannabe star, and Pinsky, who showed up in court on her behalf, to take the chance to clean up her act seriously.

"I don't want this to be some sort of stepping-stone for her to have some sort of a career as a recovering addict," he said. "I don't want her giving interviews. I don't want her on TV. I don't want anybody glamorizing the fact that she's a drug addict. I'm over that."

The 22-year-old, who also happens to be pregnant, will remain in jail until her transfer to California. Should she again be found in violation of her probation, she will be placed behind bars for good.

"I tell you what," Perry said. "When you come back here, you will not get treated different from anybody else. You will be going to prison, and if you don't think I will, give me a try."

Sierra will be receiving treatment for one year at the Pasadena Recovery Center, the same place where she logged just three weeks of recovery during filming of the VH1 show. Her treatment—including psychiatric care, medical care and 24-hour supervision—would ordinarily cost in the six-figure range, but the center is footing the bill.

Pinsky also said he would be a willing participant in Sierra's recovery and was the one who recommended 12 months in the center.

Sierra has had a history of legal- and drug-related run-ins since her 2005 Idol debut, and similar problems run in her family. Sierra's mother, Christine Laura Sierra, died of a drug overdose after racking up her share of drug and prostitution arrests.

Nearly three years ago, Sierra became a top-10 finalist on American Idol, in the season that saw Carrie Underwood take home the title.

She returns to the small screen again this Thursday, when VH1 premieres Celebrity Detox with Dr. Drew.

This girl is such a wonderful singer and I am hoping and praying that this time she will recover from her drug addiction. How sad a life she seems to have had being her mother died as she did. I hope she realizes that this is her last chance and will give it her all to get well.

Thanks for the posting.

I thought this girl was a good singer while she was on Idol and I haven't heard much about her until recently. I pray she gets a full recovery.