On the TV show “The Simple Life” Paris Hilton worked as a farmer and maid, now she will be taking on the role of a jail inmate for real. Miss Hilton, who is known worldwide for her relentless partying and notoriety globally, was sentenced on Friday to 45 days in county jail for the violation on her probation for alcohol-related reckless driving by driving with a suspended license.
She might have to spend most of her day in a cell smaller than her closet and her only luxury escape are short periods to shower, watch TV, exercise or talk on the phone. Hilton, 26, told a judge before the sentencing “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.”
Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer, saying “there’s no doubt she knew her license had been suspended,” ordered that Hilton report to a women’s jail in suburban Lynwood by June 5.
This news was a surprise to me as I would presume that most guys who are in Justin’s situation would not have admitted to it.
The judge’s ruling was a stern one as she was not allowed any work release, furloughs, use of an alternative jail or electronic monitoring in lieu of jail. She could not even pay to serve time in a jail of her choice.
Paris Hilton left the courtroom with her parents, Kathy and Rick, and headed straight to their car. She looked forward and didn’t speak to a mob of reporters and photographers shouting questions at her.
Her mother was seen visibly upset. “This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayer money with all this nonsense. This is a joke,” Kathy Hilton said of the judge’s decision.
Defense attorney Howard Weitzman said he would appeal. Weitzman said “I’m shocked, I’m surprised and really disheartened in the system that I’ve worked in for close to 40 years.” He said the sentence was “uncalled for, inappropriate and bordered on the ludicrous.” “I think she’s singled out because of who she is,” he said.
The city attorney spokesman Nick Velasquez said that the judge’s ruling “sends a clear message that in the city of Los Angeles, no one is above the law.”
Paris Hilton 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 landed her back in court. Should she report to the Century Regional Detention Center, she will be living in a one- or two-person cell as a high-profile inmate, segregated from the general population for her own safety.
She will be living in a cell that would be spartan: 12-by-8 feet with a toilet, sink and a window 6 inches wide, said Capt. Alice Scott, who oversees the 2,200-inmate facility she describes as “a very nice place.” Hilton can expect to receive three low-sodium meals a day, with dinner the only hot meal.
Inmates in segregation are allowed outside their cells for at least an hour each day to shower, watch television in the day room, participate in outdoor recreation or talk on the telephone, Scott said. There are banks of phones that use prepaid phone cards, cellular telephones and Blackberries aren’t allowed. She was ordered to report to the jail by the set date, or may face 90 days behind bars.
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