Charlie Sheen ‘plea deal’ derailed by angry jailer

American TV's most highly paid actor, Charlie Sheen, star of the sitcom Two and Half Men, was in limbo today after a plea deal that should have seen him jailed for 30 days went off the rails.

The deal had been agreed by all parties as an acceptable punishment for Sheen's behaviour last Christmas when he was arrested in Aspen, Colorado for threatening his wife Brooke Mueller with a knife in a domestic dispute.

The deal was that Sheen would plead guilty to a misdemeanour – rather than a more serious third degree assault charge - and spend a month in the Pitkin County jail. Rather than sewing mailbags like ordinary mortals, he would be released during the day - 8.0am to 8.0pm - to work at the local Aspen Theatre, where he would help teach acting classes.

However, apparently undaunted by Sheen's fame, and by her boss the Sheriff's agreement to the deal, the woman in charge of the work release programme at Pitkin County jail, Beverly Campbell, has put her foot down. Sheen may be a big Hollywood star, but when he's in my jail, he'll do things my way, she appears to have said.

According to the TMZ site, Campbell – whose official title is Pitkin County Jail Administrative Officer – has simply refused to accept the deal her boss the Sheriff agreed with Sheen's lawyer.

She wants Sheen on a much tighter lead. She believes his crime is such that he is not eligible for work release, and instead should work at the Aspen Theatre under a subtly different programme called Useful Public Service (UPS).

This would mean that he would only be allowed out of prison between the hours of 10.0 am and 4.0 pm, and that normal jail rules would apply even while he was working at the theatre – no smoking and no drinking soda.

More serious, under the UPS programme Sheen would face a longer period of probation after the jail sentence is over, whereas the deal agreed with the Sheriff meant Sheen could go back to filming his TV show without interruption once the 30-day sentence – or less, given good behaviour – was over.

According to the TMZ report, Beverley Campbell was quite unfazed by the fact that her boss had done the deal. "We're told the woman made it clear... she didn't care if her boss made a commitment - she would not enforce it," said TMZ. "We're told the Sheriff would not force the woman to honour the agreement."

All of which has left Sheen and his lawyer unsure what happens next, and CBS television unclear when their megastar will finally be ready for filming again. Sheen is due back in court on July 12 . ·