Amanda Bynes Escapes DUI Charges In New Plea Deal; Sentenced To 3 Years Probation

Former Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes’ DUI charges were dismissed Monday after the actress entered a no-contest plea to reckless driving at the LAX Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles.

Bynes’ lawyer Richard Hutton arranged a plea deal that allows her to avoid the possible six-month jail term that came along with the original charges. According to reports, Judge Edward Moreton sentenced the actress to three years probation. Bynes must also complete a three-month alcohol education course as part of the plea deal, along with paying a fine to the court.

The DUI charge was filed after Bynes allegedly sideswiped a police cruiser with her BMW in West Hollywood in April 2012. She was booked for suspicion of DUI and released on bail later that day.

Over the next few months, Bynes was involved in two hit-and-run cases along with a charge of driving with a suspended license. All these charges were eventually dropped by the court. A doctor informed the court that Bynes’ mental condition was not stable, which was a reason for the DUI case getting delayed. In November, a judge found Bynes mentally competent to stand trial.

Last month, a New York criminal case related to an incident in which she allegedly threw a bong out of the window of her high-rise apartment in Manhattan, was also dropped.

The 27-year-old actress spent four months in residential psychiatric care last year after starting a fire in the driveway of a Thousand Oaks, Calif., home. A judge placed her under an involuntary mental health hold, which was extended at her parents' request.

Bynes was released from a Malibu treatment center in December. After her release, Bynes’ mother, Lynn, and their family attorney, Tamar Arminak, told Radar Online in a statement at the time: “Amanda has completed her inpatient rehabilitation and she’s feeling better every day,” adding: “She’s now looking at various colleges with the intention of majoring in fashion design.”

“She’s mentioned before she’s interested in creating a clothing line. Despite the fact Bynes is no longer in a facility, her outpatient treatment is continuing. She’s very happy to re-establish the loving relationship with her family that she once shared,” the lawyer had said.

Bynes joined the cast of Nickelodeon’s American sketch comedy show, "All That," at the age of 10 in 1996.