Posted on 05/05/2007 5:38:21 AM PDT by kellynla
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A judge sentenced Paris Hilton to 45 days in county jail Friday for violating her probation, putting the brakes on the hotel heiress' famous high life.
Hilton, who parlayed her name and relentless partying into worldwide notoriety, must go to jail by June 5 and she will not be allowed any work release, furloughs, use of an alternative jail or electronic monitoring in lieu of jail, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ruled after a hearing.
The judge, saying "there's no doubt she knew her license had been suspended," ruled that she was in violation of the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.
"I'm very sorry and from now on I'm going to pay complete attention to everything. I'm sorry and I did not do it on purpose at all," she told the judge before he announced the sentence.
She was then ordered to report to a women's jail in suburban Lynwood by the set date or face 90 days behind bars. The judge's ruling excluded her from paying to serve time in a jail of her choice, as some are allowed.
Hilton was among a series of witnesses who took the stand during the hearing. She testified she believed her license was initially suspended for 30 days and that she was allowed to drive for work purposes during the next 90 days.
She said that when an officer who stopped her in January made her sign a document stating her license was suspended, she thought he was mistaken and did not actually look at the document.
Also called to the stand was Hilton's spokesman, Elliot Mintz. Hilton and her attorneys characterized Mintz as a liaison between Hilton and her lawyers.
Mintz testified that to his knowledge Hilton did not drive during the 30-day period. He said he then advised her that he believed her license was no longer suspended.
The judge called Mintz's testimony worthless and expressed disbelief at Hilton's lawyers.
"I can't believe that either attorney did not tell her that the suspension had been upheld," the judge said. "She wanted to disregard everything that was said and continue to drive no matter what."
Hilton's parents, Kathy and Rick, attended the hearing, holding hands throughout the proceedings. Both wore black suits. Kathy Hilton's beige, $3,000-plus Hermes bag sat on the floor by her side.
Reporters filled most of the 64-seat courtroom. Two sketch artists sat in the otherwise empty jury box.
When the judge announced Hilton's sentence, the reporters in attendance jumped up to leave until a bailiff snapped, "Sit down." Cell phones and other electronic devices were not allowed in the courtroom.
As a city prosecutor said during closing arguments that Hilton deserved jail time, Hilton's mother, Kathy, laughed. When the judge ruled, Kathy Hilton then blurted out: "May I have your autograph?"
Paris Hilton looked forward and didn't speak to news media as she left court. Her mother looked upset.
When a reporter asked what she thought of the judge's decision, a visibly angry Kathy Hilton responded: "What do you think? This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayer money with all this nonsense. This is a joke."
Defense attorney Howard Weitzman said he would appeal.
"I'm shocked, I'm surprised and really disheartened in the system that I've worked in for close to 40 years," Weitzman said.
He said the sentence was "uncalled for, inappropriate and bordered on the ludicrous."
"I think she's singled out because of who she is," Weitzman said.
City attorney spokesman Nick Velasquez said late Friday that the judge's ruling "sends a clear message that in the city of Los Angeles, no one is above the law."
"She violated the law and appropriate action was taken," he said.
Hilton had arrived at the Metropolitan Courthouse 10 minutes late and ignored screams of photographers as she swept in with her attorneys, mother and father. Wearing a gray jacket and white shirt over black slacks and with a black headband on, she said nothing and appeared serious.
The celebrity case brought an unusual scene to the austere courthouse south of downtown in a commercial area. As if at a red carpet event, dozens of photographers and reporters lined up at the rear entrance. Yellow police tape substituted for velvet ropes.
Hilton, 26, pleaded no contest in January to reckless driving stemming from a Sept. 7 arrest in Hollywood. Police said she appeared intoxicated and failed a field sobriety test. She had a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent, the level at which an adult driver is in violation of the law.
She was sentenced to 36 months probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.
Two other traffic stops and failure to enroll in a mandated alcohol education program, are what landed the socialite back in court.
On Jan. 15, Hilton was pulled over by California Highway Patrol. Officers informed her that she was driving on a suspended license and she signed a document acknowledging that she was not to drive, according to papers filed in Superior Court.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies stopped Hilton on Feb. 27 and charged her with violating her probation. Police said she was pulled over at about 11 p.m. after authorities saw the car speeding with its headlights off.
Mintz said at the time Hilton wasn't aware her license was suspended. A copy of the document Hilton signed on Jan. 15 was found in the car's glove compartment, court papers say.
Hilton was also required to enroll in an alcohol education program by Feb. 12. As of April 17, she had not enrolled, prosecutors said.
Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, first gained notoriety for her hard partying as a teen. She attracted worldwide attention when a sex tape she made with a boyfriend was released on the Internet.
She stars in the reality-TV series, "The Simple Life," now in its fifth season, with Nicole Richie. She appeared in the 2005 film, "House of Wax" and recently finished filming "The Hottie and the Nottie." She also is a handbag designer and has a namesake perfume.
I bet she's never worked a day in her life.
Guess I should have read the article! DOH!
Why in God’s name does ANYONE with a brain shive a git about this pathetic little spoiled brat’s life while kids are being injured and killed fighting ostensibly to keep her in her pampered and notorious lifestyle?
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You read about it didn’t you?
during the RK riots i wore a watch cap and dark glasss
im a toe head they burned down the whole block where i was rehabing a office sad
I can't wait for the reality TV show based upon Paris' jailhouse experiences..It is in development, and has a working title of...(ta da!!!)
Celebrity Cavity Searches!!!
Nope, didn’t READ it. How does one AVOID seeing the headline. It’s EVERYWHERE.
She goes to jail. Boom. GOOD! 45 days in the lockup will probably do her a huge amount of good.
Somehow, I doubt it. You can’t cure stupid.
Any woman who don’t accessorize properly spends a night in the box.
Concur. IMHO, had her arrested and jailed immediately. Just keep nickle and dime-ing her at $30k a pop until it runs into monies they might recognize.
Loss of freedom is a remarkable disincentive to criminal behavior.
Anybody else willing to chip in to send Paris a gross of hard boiled eggs in the slammer,...maybe even all gussied up like Easter Eggs?
(It would probably be too far over her head.)
Wonder who/what her “roomy” will be?/snicker snicker
“Any woman who don’t accessorize properly spends a night in the box.”
LOL.
Any woman that doesn’t drive a Bentley, spends a night in the box.
Any woman that doesn’t say “that’s hot”, spends a night in the box.
Any woman who doesn’t perform oral sex on video, spends a night in the box.
Which, btw, is doable. I believe the current record holder is a woman.
Money don’t buy smarts. LOL
And don’t ya just know grandpa is proud...
FWIW, the plot summary of “Girls in Prison” from IMDB:
“Protesting innocence (of course), 21-year-old Anne Carson, convicted as an accomplice to a bank robbery, finds herself in prison with 3 equally glamorous cellmates in form-fitting uniforms: tough Jenny, unbalanced Dorothy, and deceptive, sweet-talking Melanee who (it’s implied) makes unwanted lesbian advances toward Anne. The prison chaplain takes an interest in her case...or is it in her? As Anne meets the darker side of prison life, she learns that her greatest danger is the existence, somewhere out there, of unrecovered bank loot everyone thinks she hid. “
Does this mean we can go for 45 glorious days without being forced to read something about Paris Hilton in the papers?
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