Lindsay Lohan carted off to jail

Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan was taken in handcuffs Tuesday from a Beverly Hills courtroom to start a 90-day jail term for violating parole after a drunk driving conviction.

TV helicopters chased the police car taking the actress and model, who was dressed in jeans and black jacket, before she finally disappeared through the gates of the correctional facility at Lynwood, in the southern outskirts of Los Angeles.

An "extremely cooperative" Lindsay Lohan was booked into Lynwood jail shortly after 10:00 am (1700 GMT) Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore told reporters.

Media scrums and supporters were also at the court where Lohan, 24, appeared before Judge Marsha Revel to report for her sentence.

She was accompanied by her lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley, rather than attorney to the stars Robert Shapiro, as had been expected.

"We love you Lindsay!" her father, Michael Lohan, shouted out. One fan bore a T-shirt with Lohan's picture and the inscription "Linnocent." Others threw gold confetti in her path.

Revel took little time on the formalities confirming the 90-day sentence she imposed July 6 for Lohan's parole violation following the 2007 DUI conviction.

Lohan had been convicted of missing seven classes of a mandatory 90-day, in-patient substance abuse program.

While she broke down in tears at that earlier court appearance, Lohan seemed composed and resigned Tuesday.

Life in the Century Regional Detention Facility will have none of the luxuries usually available to Lohan, who began as a child actress and was considered a serious star in the making before becoming known chiefly for substance abuse, partying and appearances in the tabloids.

Paris Hilton is among other celebrities that have been incarcerated at the Lynwood prison and experts said wardens would carefully protect Lohan from the kind of violence common behind bars.

"People with notoriety are kept away" from the general jail population for security purposes, said Whitmore.

Authorities also said her actual time served could be as little as one-fourth of the sentence -- so just a few weeks -- given California's massive jail overcrowding and the relatively minor nature of her infractions.

The Sheriff's Department was reviewing the judge's order, and the length of Lohan's sentence could be announced later Tuesday, said spokesman Whitmore.

Lohan, who starred in the 1998 film "The Parent Trap" and 2003's "Freaky Friday", was arrested in May 2007 after crashing her Mercedes in Beverly Hills.

After a stay in rehab, the star of "Herbie the Lovebug," "Mean Girls" and other hit films, was caught two months later for drunk driving and cocaine possession. At the time, she spent a mere 84 minutes in jail.

The latest calamity for Lohan did not dent the enthusiasm of fans who remember her for a series of promising roles and celeb-page glamor.

"I'm here because Lindsay deserves the support of everyone," Hollywood autograph hunter Jake Byrd said.