A New York judge has threatened Amanda Bynes with arrest if she fails to appear in court to face drug possession charges after skipping a hearing on Thursday morning (05Dec13).

The embattled Hairspray star was released from a rehab facility in Malibu, California on Wednesday (04Dec13) after completing a mental health treatment programme, but she was a no show at Manhattan Criminal Court the following morning.

Bynes' attorney, Gerald Shargel, who appeared on his client's behalf, was given a stern warning from Judge Diana Boyar as she had not been made aware of the actress' absence prior to the hearing.

Putting Shargel on the spot, Judge Boyar demanded, "Where is the defendant? Is she still in the hospital?"

He explained that Bynes had been placed in the custody of her mother, Lynn Organ, who is currently serving as her temporary conservator, but did not elaborate, according to the New York Daily News.

Prosecutors declined to seek permission to request the arrest of the troubled star, but the annoyed judge warned Shargel that Bynes, who is continuing to receive outpatient treatment, must attend the next hearing "or else a warrant will be ordered".

The two parties are currently locked in negotiations in a bid to reach a plea deal following Bynes' arrest in May (13) during a police raid on her Manhattan apartment. She faces charges of reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and possessing marijuana after reportedly throwing a bong out of her window.

The 27 year old has been under the care of medical professionals since July (13), when she was hospitalised on a mental health evaluation order after allegedly starting a fire on a driveway in Thousand Oaks, California following weeks of erratic behaviour.