Lindsay Lohan facing a race against time to enter rehab

Lindsay Lohan is facing a race against time to start her court-ordered rehab stint after leaving New York on a flight to Los Angeles late on Wednesday night (01May13) just hours before she needs to enrol at a treatment centre.

A judge gave the troubled actress until 2 May (13) to begin a 90-day treatment program at a court-approved facility after she pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a car crash in California last summer (12).

However, Lohan still hadn't checked in by Wednesday night and reportedly left New York overnight on a private jet to the West Coast.

Lohan had been expected to check in to a luxury rehab centre in New York's Hamptons, which had been approved by the court, but reports suggest she has now opted for the Morningside Recovery clinic in Newport Beach, California.

If Lohan fails to check in on time, a warrant could be issued for her arrest, and reports suggest her lawyer has scheduled a last-minute court hearing on Thursday morning to get the new treatment centre approved by the star's case judge.

The situation appears to be a repeat of Lohan's last big California court showdown in March (13), when she missed the start of her trial after she left the Big Apple on a night flight and touched down in Los Angeles after the hearing was due to begin.

The trial was subsequently shelved when she entered no contest pleas and agreed to the rehab stint.

Earlier this week (beg29Apr13), Lohan published a picture which showed her packing for her three months in rehab, and she was also spotted on a last-minute shopping trip at a designer store in the Big Apple on Wednesday.