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Just weeks away from completing her court-ordered stay at the Betty Ford Center, Lindsay Lohan is being investigated by police after allegedly assaulting a female employee at the clinic.

Palm Desert police conducted a battery investigation at the scene at about 1 a.m. on Dec. 12. "The victim desired prosecution," says Sgt. Joe Borja of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. "The incident is being investigated as a misdemeanor."

A source close to Lohan, 24, says the actress denies pushing the woman first. The staffer scolded Lohan for allegedly returning past curfew after spending the evening at a local bar, TMZ reports.

It isn't known whether she had been drinking; the Betty Ford Center regularly tests patients for alcohol and drugs.

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Sgt. Borja explains that no arrest was made because the incident didn't occur in front of an officer.

Lohan, 24, has been at the Rancho Mirage, Calif., facility since Sept. 28, and was ordered by a Beverly Hills judge to remain there until at least Jan. 3.

It remains to be seen whether the incident would be deemed a violation of Lohan's probation terms stemming from her ongoing DUI case. A violation could send her back to jail.

As of Tuesday, Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge Elden Fox, who's overseeing her case, has not been notified, according to a court source.

UPDATE

TMZ reports that Dawn Holland, the woman who told TMZ Lindsay Lohan hurt her bad, was fired 30 minutes ago by Betty Ford officials.

It is reported that Holland told TMZ a honcho from B.F. told her she violated patient confidentiality and was therefore terminated from her job as a chemical dependency tech, which paid $1,784.74 a month.

Holland says she told the official, "I didn't feel you had my back. When you placed me on administrative leave you were investigating me, and 9 times out of 10 that means the employee will be fired."

Holland says the official responded, "We wanted you to keep this quiet."

As for why Holland spoke with TMZ, she says, "The story was already way out there in the open before I spoke. If Lindsay is allowed to say, 'Fire that bitch,' I should be able to defend myself."