Paris Hilton's booking photograph driving violations, and jail time
In September 2006, Hilton was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of 0.08%, the level at which it is illegal to drive in California. Hilton's driving license was subsequently suspended in November 2006,[82] and in January 2007 she pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge.[83] Her punishment was 36 months' probation and fines of about $1,500.[84] On January 15, 2007, Hilton was pulled over for driving with a suspended license and signed a document acknowledging that she was not permitted to drive.[85] On February 27, 2007 Hilton was caught driving 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, again with a suspended license. She also did not have her headlights on even though it was after dark. Prosecutors in the office of the Los Angeles City Attorney charged that those actions, along with the failure to enroll in a court-ordered alcohol education program, constituted a violation of the terms of her probation.[82]
On May 4, 2007 Hilton was sentenced by Judge Michael T. Sauer to 45 days in jail for violating her probation. Initially, Hilton planned to appeal the sentence, and supported an online petition[86] asking California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a pardon.[87] The petition was created and organized on May 5, 2007 by Joshua Morales.[88] In response, various opponents started a counter-petition to maintain the sentence.[89] Both petitions attracted tens of thousands of signatures. Hilton later switched lawyers and dropped her plans to appeal.[90]
Hilton was required to begin her jail term on June 5, 2007,[91] and checked herself into the Century Regional Detention Facility, an all-female jail in Lynwood, California after attending the 2007 MTV Movie Awards on June 3, 2007. With credit for good behavior, it was anticipated that Hilton would only serve 23 days of her 45-day sentence;[92] however, in an unexpected turn of events, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca signed orders on the morning of June 7, reassigning Hilton to 40 days of home confinement with an electronic monitoring device due to an unspecified medical condition.[93] Baca commented on the release saying, "My message to those who don't like celebrities is that punishing celebrities more than the average American is not justice,"[94] contesting that under normal circumstances, Hilton would not have served any time in jail, and he added that "The special treatment, in a sense, appears to be because of her celebrity status ... She got more time in jail".[95] On the same day that Hilton was released from jail, Judge Michael Sauer summoned her to reappear in court the following morning (June 8) as the sentencing statement had explicitly said she would serve time in jail with "No work furlough. No work release. No electronic monitoring."[96] At the hearing he declined to be briefed by Hilton's attorney in private chambers on the nature of her condition and sent her back to jail to serve out her original 45-day sentence. Upon hearing the sentence, Hilton shouted, "It's not right!" and started screaming, requesting to hug her mother who was present in the courtroom.[97][98] Concern about Hilton's condition led to her being moved to the medical wing of the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, and she was moved back to the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood on June 13.[99]
While in jail, Hilton was influenced by the clergyman minister Marty Angelo: Hilton referred to starting a "new beginning" during her interview with talk show host Larry King on June 28, 2007, two days after being released from jail,[100] and quoted from Angelo's autobiography, entitled Once Life Matters: A New Beginning. On June 9, 2007, Marty Angelo petitioned Sauer,[101] asking to serve out the remainder of Hilton's jail sentence if the judge would release her to an alternative treatment program,[102] but the petition was turned down.
On July 17, 2010, Hilton was detained and released after being caught in possession of cannabis at Figari airport, Corsica.[103]
On August 28, 2010 she was arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession in Las Vegas.[104][105] Initially her defence claimed that the handbag containing 0.8g of cocaine was not hers as "This purse in question was a high street brand - and by no means up to her high fashion standards." [106]. Later she claimed some of the personal items (like cash and credit cards) from the bag acknowledging it was hers.
In order to avoid being convicted on felony, Paris Hilton pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors on September 17, 2010. Under the terms of the plea bargain, she was sentenced to one year probation, 200 hours community service, $2,000 fine and ordered to complete a drug abuse program.[107][108] Clark County District Attorney David Roger said that: "If she is arrested for anything besides a minor traffic violation she will spend a year in jail. There will be no discussion. The court will have no discretion."[107]
Paris Hilton | |
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Paris Hilton promoting her cell-phone video game "Jewel Jam" at the E3 Video Game Convention | |
Born | Paris Whitney Hilton February 17, 1981 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Occupation | Socialite, model, actress, singer, songwriter, fashion designer |
Years active | 2003–present |
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1] |
Parents | Richard Howard Hilton Kathy Hilton |
Website | |
Official site |