LOS ANGELES — Kiefer Sutherland pleaded no contest Tuesday in his drunken driving case to ensure the star of Fox’s “24” could avoid a lengthy jail sentence, his attorney and network officials said.
Under terms of a plea agreement, Sutherland will serve 30 days for driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08, his attorney Blair Berk said. The actor was not in the courtroom.
A second misdemeanor charge, driving under the influence, was dropped.
As part of the arrangement, Sutherland must also enroll in an 18-month alcohol-education class and attend weekly alcohol-therapy sessions for six months.
Sutherland could face six months in jail for violating probation for a 2004 drunken driving arrest. Sentencing is set for Dec. 21, the same day the show begins a production break.
“I’m very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I’m deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on ‘24’ and at 20th Century Fox,” Sutherland said in a statement.
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