LINDSAY LOHAN - LOHAN: 'I'M INNOCENT'

LOHAN: 'I'M INNOCENT'

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has reportedly protested her innocence after being arrested on drink and drugs charges.

The 21-year-old star was arrested on suspicion of drink driving in the early hours of Tuesday morning by police in California, who revealed that they had subsequently found her to be in possession of a small amount of cocaine.

Lohan, already facing an earlier charge of drink driving following a May car crash, was apparently pursuing a vehicle being driven by the mother of her personal assistant when she was apprehended in the latest incident, Santa Monica police said.

But in an e-mail to the host of a US entertainment show, the actress insisted that she was innocent.

Responding to a message sent by Access Hollywood's Billy Bush, Lohan reportedly replied: "Yes. I am innocent... did not do drugs they're not mine.

"I was almost hit by my assistant Tarin's mom. I appreciate everyone giving me my privacy," she added, according to comments posted on the show's website.

It is not clear why Lohan was involved in the alleged incident with the mother of one of her staff members, but at a press conference following the actress' arrest police revealed that her assistant had quit her job just hours before.

Meanwhile Hollywood legal experts are warning Lohan that her best bet for avoiding jail time is to go back into rehab following her second brush with the law this month.

The party-loving star handed herself in to Beverly Hills police on Friday to face charges of drink driving and leaving the scene of an accident in relation to a car crash on May 26th, when she allegedly lost control of her Mercedes-Benz sports car and drove into a hedge.

It is uncertain what impact Lohan's latest behaviour will have on her acting career, with the star having checked out of a rehab centre just this month wearing an alcohol-monitoring bracelet.

However it seems that Hollywood is already lining up replacements for Lohan.

Last night comic Rob Schneider donned a blonde wig and appeared on Jay Leno's US chat show dressed as the actress after her scheduled interview with him was dropped following her arrest.