LOS ANGELES - Former 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett agreed Friday to enter a strict drug-diversion program for violating probation in a cocaine case even as he faces a new charge of heroin possession.
Garrett, 44, agreed to enter the program during an appearance before a Superior Court commissioner who ordered him released from jail and commended him for choosing the option, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Garrett promised to enter the program on Monday, she said.
Garrett previously had been ordered into drug treatment, which he failed. The commissioner ended that program Friday and ordered him into the diversion program, which is "much more intense," Robison said.
"It's frequent testing and daily counseling" and lasts a minimum of a year, she said.
Garrett pleaded guilty in March to attempted possession of cocaine-based narcotics stemming from a 2004 arrest, and was placed in drug treatment. A warrant for his arrest was issued last month when he failed to appear in court for a status report, Robison said.
On Wednesday, Garrett pleaded not guilty to felony possession of heroin stemming from a Dec. 14 arrest.
Garrett has appeared in three-dozen films, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, and has released 10 music albums.
