Deena goes down for dancing in the street

Deena goes down for dancing in the street

You can't do that here -- this is Joisey!

Deena Cortese, cast member of surreality series Jersey Shore, will not face criminal charges for dancing illegally in the street in Seaside Heights, N.J., where the show is filmed. But after a court hearing Tuesday, she was fined about $100 for "failing to use the sidewalk."

Apparently, this is illegal in Jersey. Who knew?

According to the Associated Press (and gleeful New York and New Jersey media reports), Cortese, 24, was arrested on June 10 and charged with dancing in a roadway and interfering with the flow of traffic. But there wasn't enough evidence so she was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser offense of not using a sidewalk for her twirling.

She may have been drinking before the incident, according to the police report, but by the time she was in court she was apologetic and tearful. Her lawyer, Michael Pappa -- yes, she had a lawyer -- said Cortese was dancing in the middle of the road when summer traffic was already congested.

"She knew she made a mistake and she regrets what she did," Pappa told AP. "She took this situation very seriously. She was very upset about getting arrested and having to go to the police station, and she was very apologetic to the police officers."

The municipal judge, Dan Sahin, chided her for endangering herself, saying her antics wasted valuable police time. Outside on the sidewalk, her mother, Joann Cortese, told her the judge "doesn't want to see you in that courtroom again."

Deena's run-in with Jersey police was at least the third time for a Jersey Shore cast member since the start of the show, nearing the end of its sixth season. A longtime friend of Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Cortese joined the cast in the third season.