Comedian Paula Poundstone was jailed for a brief time Tuesday in Santa Monica, California after admitting she took prescription medication, violating her probation.
The 41-year-old Poundstone was currently undergoing treatment at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Malibu, California, on a 180-day program. She was sent there after pleading guilty to child endangerment charges in June.
“If you don’t follow the rules of probation…there has to be a consequence right away,” Superior Court Judge Bernard Kamins told Poundstone, Reuters reported.
“You’ve been in for half a day and I always let people have a break on the first violation. To me, this is a relapse rather than just a slip.” Kamins added, said an Associated Press report.
Poundstone apparently took a drug but failed to alert her counselor at the center, who in turn reported it to the judge. Kamins and attorneys would not comment on which medication Poundstone took but Allen Mayer, Poundstone‘s spokesman, told Reuters it was a drug the comedian had been prescribed.
Kamins also noted that the psychiatrists at the center had recently taken Poundstone off of all her medication, including her anti-depressants, and consequently the comedian appeared depressed. The judge was curious to know why this had occurred since Poundstone was making good progress.
“When I first saw you, you had anger,” Kamins said. “Your attitude seemed to have gotten a lot better. You were doing great and you’re going to do great again.”
In June, Poundstone was charged with several counts of lewd conduct and child endangerment, after witnesses reported seeing Poundstone driving her three adopted children and two foster while intoxicated, according to The Associated Press. The lewd conduct charges have since been dropped, but Poundstone pleaded no-contest in September to the endangerment charges. Poundstone blamed drinking for some of her problems.
Poundstone was spared a jail term by agreeing to 180 days in rehab, of which she still has 55 more days to serve. She was also ordered to undertake 200 hours community service and undergo psychiatric counseling for one year.
