Celebrity News - Paris Hilton pleads not guilty to DUI charges
Hun Lee  |  by www.actressarchives.com. All rights reserved. 10.01 | 3:32

It seems that these days, the fashionable thing for celebrities to do is drinking and driving. 2006 saw some big names arrested for driving under the influence, including , , Mike Tyson, and both stars of The Simple Life, and . While 's December 11 arrest has yet to be sent to court, 's arrest on September 7, 2006 made it to Los Angeles Superior Court today, where the celebrity heiress pleaded not guilty.

Facing two misdemeanor charges from her September arrest while she was hurrying to get a late-night burger, chose not to attend to short hearing on Tuesday. Hilton's lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, entered the not guilty plea on behalf of the actress/singer, who was not required to appear in court as the two charges she faces are misdemeanors. is facing the charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol level of California's legal limit of .

08. Following Hilton's not guilty plea, Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer set a pretrial hearing for January 23 according to Reuters. Judge Sauer also stated that the case would go to trial within a month of the January 23 pretrial date.

If convicted of the charges, the 25-year-old Hilton Hotel fortune heiress could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, as this is 's first offense, it is more likely that the celebutant will be handed probation, a fine, and an order to attend alcohol counseling and rehabilitation. Following the court appearance, 's lawyer, Shawn Chapman had no comment had declined to speak with reporters outside the courthouse.

Pairs Hilton's woes began shortly after midnight on September 7, when motorcycle officers spotted Hilton driving her Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR erratically and pulled her over just before 12:30 a.m. E Online reports that the LAPD police reports claims displayed symptoms of intoxication and failed a field sobriety test, and while no official numbers were released, sources claim Paris blew exactly a .

08 on the roadside Breathalyzer test, which is also the minimum blood-alcohol level required under California law to be charged with a DUI.

Refuting the story of his client being intoxicated, Hilton's publicist, Elliot Mintz, claimed the young party girl was simply tired after spending all day shooting a music video for her then-upcoming single, "Nothing In This World". Mintz claimed that the Breathalyzer test, which Hilton failed, was, "probably the result of an empty stomach and working all day and being fatigued," coupled with a single margarita that had at the charity event she had been attending shortly before her traffic stop.

To plead her case, called American Idol host Ryan Seacrest's radio show the following day, and Reuters quoted her as saying, "I had one margarita (and) was starving because I had not eaten all day. Maybe I was speeding a little bit and I got pulled over. I was just really hungry and wanted to have an In-N-Out burger.

" Hilton went on to say that, "Everything I do is blown out of proportion." Hilton's publicist pled his client's case by saying to the media that 's blood-alcohol level was "the absolute minimum amount of alcohol in your system that would justify an arrest."

While 's run-in with the law heads through the court system, her Simple Life co-star is dealing with her own DUI charge.

While wasn't drunk when she was pulled over, the daughter of Lionel Richie admitted to smoking marijuana and taking Vicodin before she was pulled over after driving the wrong way down California State Route 134 in Burbank, California. No court date has been set for Richie.

Read more on by www.actressarchives.com. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Superior Court, Simple Life
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