Lindsay Lohan avoids arrest after checking into Betty Ford Center rehab facility in Rancho Mirage

Lindsay Lohan finally checked into the Betty Ford Center rehab facility on Thursday night, narrowly avoiding an arrest warrant after failing to enter her court-approved facility earlier that day.

Lindsay Lohan’s entry into the Rancho Mirage, California clinic comes after she is said to have rehired her previous lawyer Shawn Holley, who negotiated with Santa Monica City Attorney Terry White to approve the Betty Ford Center as an acceptable rehab alternative.

The troubled actress was scheduled to start rehab on Thursday morning to begin her 90 days of court-ordered treatment.

But she is reported to been “spooked” by the amount of paparazzi waiting outside the Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, and refused to check into the facility.

Lindsay Lohan, 26, was said to have then “begged” Shawn Holley to return as her lawyer after prosecutors said they would seek an arrest warrant if the star was not back in rehab by sunrise on Friday, reported TMZ.

The actress was allegedly unimpressed with the way lawyer Mark Heller had handled her case, and spent the better part of Thursday convincing Shawn Holley to return after she sensationally fired her last year.

“Lindsay cannot stand [Mark Heller] and thinks he doesn’t know what he is doing,” a source told RadarOnline.com.

“So late Thursday, from hiding, she began calling and emailing Shawn incessantly.

“Shawn has always had a soft spot for Lindsay, even after everything she has pulled. She hates to see her suffering,” added the source.

Shawn Holley was able to broker a last minute deal with the D.A. to approve the Betty Ford Center, where Lindsay Lohan famously fought with staffer during another rehab stay in 2010.

Lindsay Lohan’s father Michael confirmed that she had finally entered a facility, although he didn’t confirm which one.

“I can’t say where she is. She did check into a rehab. I’m really happy she’s in a rehab,” Michael Lohan told The New York Post on Friday.

Michael Lohan said Lindsay sent him a text message on Thursday night to say she was in rehab, but that she would rather be at a more upmarket facility.

“Yes, daddy I’m OK, just annoyed by this happening,” he said she wrote.

“I really want to go to treatment and, of course, something has to go wrong…I want to go to Hawaii or Antigua.”

The news comes after Lindsay Lohan decided not to enter her court-ordered rehab treatment on Thursday morning.

“She felt Morningside was not suitable for her,” a source told Us Weekly about her decision to leave.

“There were too many paparazzi everywhere and she didn’t feel safe.”

RadarOnline, however, reported that Lindsay Lohan did in fact walk through the doors of the facility, but left just a few minutes later.

“She told people there that she didn’t need rehab,” a source told Radar.

“And then she left. Everyone was stunned.”

Michael Lohan also confirmed to Radar that his daughter never checked in.

Lindsay Lohan was spotted at a Fry’s Electronics store in Fountain Valley at 8.45 a.m., while at the same time her lawyer was in court asserting she had already checked into rehab.