Sierra to spend a year in rehab

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A Florida judge reportedly ordered former "American Idol" contestant Jessica Sierra to spend a year in a California drug treatment facility.

Sierra, 22, was arrested Dec. 1 in Ybor City, Fla., after she allegedly went on a drunken rampage, violating her probation for an April drug and battery incident.

Tampa, Fla., Judge Daniel Perry said he had reservations about allowing Sierra to undergo treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center, the Tampa Tribune reported.

"I don't want this to be some stepping stone for her to have a career as a recovering addict," Perry said.

The judge also banned Sierra, who will soon be seen on the reality TV program "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," from doing interviews during her recovery, the newspaper said.

Addiction expert Drew Pinsky told the judge he thought the yearlong treatment would give Sierra a better chance for recovery than she could have gotten from the "low-level" treatment she received on his VH-1 show, which Sierra taped before her Dec. 1 arrest.