Kiefer Sutherland charged

24 star Kiefer Sutherland has been formally charged with drunken driving.Sutherland was arrested on Tuesday and remains on probation for a 2004 drunken driving offence that put him into a court-ordered alcohol treatment program.In the latest case, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office charged Sutherland, 40, with two misdemeanor counts - driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit.Each carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $500 (£245) fine.Under California law he would get at least four days in jail if found guilty because it would count as his second drunken-driving conviction, city attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said.Sutherland could receive up to an additional six months in jail if the judge in the case decides to revoke his probation.The same traffic court judge, Michael Sauer, sentenced celebrity socialite Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail earlier this year for breaching her probation in a previous drunken driving case.In November 2004, Sutherland was placed on five years probation, fined $500 (£245) and ordered into an alcohol treatment program.Sutherland is best known for his role as the terrorist-fighting secret agent Jack Bauer in 24.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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ITN | September 29, 2007