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LOS ANGELES (May 4) -- 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 on 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
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 on
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.
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 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 looked
forward and didn't speak to news media as she left court. Her mother looked
upset.
One of her attorneys, 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.
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, Rick
Hilton. 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.
Associated
Press Writer Daisy Nguyen contributed to this report
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